Kay Burley: "I am an idiot"

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 12d

Kay Burley allegedly sends an email to Sky News staff declaring herself to be "an idiot" following a coronavirus rule break last weekend.

Kay Burley has branded herself "an idiot" in an email to colleagues following a breach of coronavirus rules last weekend.

The veteran Sky News anchor held a small gathering for several friends and workmates, including Sky's political editor Beth Rigby, at a private members' club in Soho, London last Saturday to celebrate her 60th birthday.

London is currently in tier two restrictions, which ban people from different households meeting indoors and require those from different households to maintain at least a one-metre distance where possible.

Following an investigation, Sky News yesterday took the unprecedented step of suspending Burley from the air for six months, as well as Rigby for three months, prompting Burley to send an email to colleagues.

According to the Daily Mail, she wrote: "Dear all, I'm an idiot. I'm really very sorry. I know I have let so many of you down. There's really nothing else I can say to excuse my actions."

In another email to all staff, Rigby is said to have written: "To all my colleagues, I just wanted to write to you all to tell you how sorry I am for what I've done in recent days and let you know it will never happen again. It was wrong of me to attend the dinner event, and it was wrong of me to hug Kay Burley goodbye as I was leaving to go home.

"I've covered the guidelines throughout the pandemic and I should have known better. Everyone is making sacrifices and is restricted in many ways right now and mine was a huge error of judgement.

"You will know how proud I am to work for Sky News. I also want you to know how sorry I am that I let you all down as well as our viewers whom we're here to serve.

"I will use this time to reflect on all of this and then come back ready to work with you all again in the new year."

The suspensions mean that the pair will miss covering some major news moments in the coming months, including the UK's exit from the EU transition period, the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine and the ongoing economic turmoil caused by COVID-19.