Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, has been given a pay rise of ￡75,000 after one year in the role.

       The broadcast executive succeeded Lord Hall of Birkenhead in September 2020, and was given the same remuneration as the former boss, taking home ￡450,000.

       Mr Davie’s pay has now increased 15% to ￡525,000 after a year leading the corporation, making his salary more than three times higher than that of Boris Johnson, who earns ￡160,000 a year.

       The increase moves the director-general closer to the ￡600,000 he previously earned as head of BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial arm.

       Mr Davie agreed to take a pay cut when he was given the role of director-general last year amid ongoing cost-cutting at the broadcaster, which ended its funding of free TV licences for over-75s.

       Nigel Mills, the Conservative MP for Amber Valley, responded to the pay increase, saying that “salaries for top executives and stars are too high at the BBC” and adding that the public’s view on BBC pay “could not be clearer”.

       He told The Sun: “The idea that the person running the BBC earns nearly four times as much as the Prime Minister is baffling. It’s impossible to justify.”

       The BBC has introduced a raft of cost-cutting measures to become a “leaner” organisation, with 450 regional roles cut in 2020 along with the licence fee concession for over-75s.

       Last year, Mr Davie warned that the BBC could become “starved of the financial oxygen” needed to continue creating new programming, with a savings target set at ￡85 million.

       He announced that the broadcaster would aim to “have more impact by making less” in a bid to reduce costs, with a view to “reallocating funds to where they generate most value”.

       The BBC has said that Mr Davie’s pay increase is an adjustment for inflation, with the remuneration for the director-general position remaining unchanged since 2012.

       It maintains that the director-general’s salary is well below the market rate for similar roles, and that the corporation kept the salary for its top role below its competitors.

       Dame Carolyn McCall, the chief executive of ITV, earns ￡833,000, while her Channel 4 counterpart Alex Mahon earns ￡991,000, and Sky’s Jeremy Darroch earns ￡1,039,650.

       A spokesman for the BBC said: “Tim Davie took a pay cut when he was appointed Director-General, his current salary remains lower than what he earned at BBC Studios and is well below other UK broadcasting chief’s pay.”

       The pay increase nevertheless makes Mr Davie among the highest-paid figures at the BBC, with his salary comparable to top-earning stars at the broadcaster.

       In the summer, it was revealed that Gary Lineker remained the BBC’s highest-paid star, taking home between ￡1,360,000 and ￡1,364,999, followed by radio presenters Zoe Ball and Steve Wright.