‘Huw Edwards betrayed household, BBC, audiences and, most of all, younger victims’

Depraved and disgraced, Huw Edwards betrayed his family, the BBC, audiences who trusted him and, most of all, the young victims of a despicable crime.

The once respected national broadcaster, who broke the news that the Queen had died, is now a villain in the eyes of a nation sickened by his viewing of indecent images showing the stomach-churning abuse and exploitation of children.

Edwards has no excuses. Pleading poor mental health is unlikely to lessen public revulsion over conduct that many will feel deserved more than a six-month suspended sentence.

The BBC has questions to answer about its treatment of a fallen star, including a salary rise and £200,000 paid after his arrest.

But above all else, this is the fall of a calculating, manipulative man who conned the country into inviting him into their living rooms – without knowing how warped he was.

Poison politics

The poisonous state of US politics is putting lives at risk on both sides of the divide, evidenced by another apparent attempt to assassinate Donald Trump.

Ryan Routh, the man charged over the latest incident, is a disillusioned former Trump supporter who voted for him in 2016.

This will make little difference to Trump and his more extreme supporters, who will continue to spew their hateful rhetoric at his Democrat rival, Kamala Harris.

We await a definitive verdict on what ­motivated the latest gunman. But while the Secret Service did its job and Trump was mercifully unharmed, the story is another reminder that until the US imposes tight gun control, nobody is safe in that country.

Not done yet..

Queen of the dessert Prue Leith’s bid to get out of the kitchen thankfully ended with her staying on TV.

She might be tired during filming of The Great British Bake Off, but viewers think watching Prue is still a treat.