Murnaghan’s move to Sky not motivated by money

Former BBC Breakfast news presenter Dermot Murnaghan has denied his move to Sky News was movitated by money. In an interview in The Independent, Murnaghan said his decision to join Sky was “simply a lifestyle decision” based on a desire to work a later shift.

Murnaghan said he would have even taken a pay cut to stay at the BBC, if the right job with a later start had been offered. Former BBC Breakfast colleague Natasha Kaplinsky also left the corporation last year to present Five News.

Murnaghan, who turned 50 on Boxing Day, will present Sky News Today from 9am – 1pm, allowing him to get up at 6.30am.

Elsewhere in the interview, Murnaghan berates the lack of coverage given to Northern Irish news and talks to former ITN colleague John Suchet about the return of News At Ten, about which Suchet quipped: “They’ll never get it right, will they?”