Portrait of Huw Edwards no longer on show in BBC atrium... in sign there is 'no way back' for veteran broadcaster suspended over claims he paid young person for explicit snaps

A photo portrait of newsreader Huw Edwards is no longer being displayed at the BBC in a possible sign there is 'no way back' for the veteran broadcaster, a report has claimed.

The broadcaster has a rotating display of photographs of its biggest stars in the atrium above the newsroom, but Mr Edwards' picture has not been swapped in for five months.

This has led to speculation amongst BBC staffers that the corporation's bosses do not see a future for the star who has been mired in controversy.

The BBC News presenter, 62, was suspended by the corporation in July after it was claimed he had paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexual images.

Police investigators found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing by the presenter, and it is expected Mr Edwards will now have the opportunity to respond to the inquiry.

The BBC News at 10 presenter had also been accused of sharing 'inappropriate messages' with his colleagues.

The portrait of Mr Edwards was removed before his suspension, a BBC source told the Mirror, and was unrelated to the events surrounding it.

They also said photos of Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie were taken down at the same time.

But they said that they would have 'expected the picture to be rotated back in now', adding that it was 'telling' that it has not been.

Insiders made claims that Mr Edwards has 'no way back' to the BBC amid reports he he is engaged in exit negotiations.

A BBC spokesman told the Mirror: 'We urge people not to speculate. We will not provide a commentary on how things might stand.'

This comes after it was reported last week that Huw Edwards was set to leave the BBC after being given the inquiry findings into his alleged behaviour.

Although his identity was initially protected after the claims were made, Mr Edwards' wife Vicky Flind eventually revealed it was her husband at the centre of the scandal as she announced he was in hospital receiving treatment for his mental health.

But an insider told the paper: 'We understand Huw is not coming back. It's now a discussion about the terms of his departure and how it is presented.'

Another newsroom insider said: 'The review is in and unfortunately there isn't a path back for Huw. There is no expectation he will return.'

Over the summer it was reported that Mr Edwards had paid a young person for sexual images who he had first met when they were 17.

The Sun's original story purported to reveal a 'failure to investigate claims' that a BBC star - then unnamed publicly - had paid thousands for explicit images.

The mother and stepfather of the alleged victim, who they said was 17 when contact with the presenter was first made, and is now 20, went to police in South Wales this April to report Mr Edwards, but were told there was no crime.

In May this year, the mother of the alleged victim made a complaint about Edwards' behaviour, with details referred to the Corporate Investigations Team.

On May 19, the team emailed the complainant and received no response.

Two months later, The Sun informed the BBC's press office about allegations made against Edwards, prompting the broadcaster to launch an 'incident management group' of top execs and approach Edwards, before going to the police on July 7.

By July 9, Edwards was suspended from his role.

Only a day later, the alleged victim rubbished the allegations through a lawyer.

Three new claims emerged on July 11 in relation to Edwards' behaviour, before he was finally revealed as the presenter in question by his wife on July 12.

Among other things, he has been accused of inappropriate behaviour to BBC staff and becoming abusive towards a person who he met on a dating app.

The Welsh presenter was a major face of the BBC, fronting the News at Ten and being the highest paid journalist at the broadcaster.

He accompanied the nation through the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and has presented numerous major stories over his career.