Tony Livesey Has Left Radio 5 Live After 16 Years, the Corporation Announced on Monday

Tony Livesey has left BBC Radio 5 Live after 16 years, the corporation announced on Monday. The presenter stepped back from his weekday late-night talk show in June following allegations made against his former newspaper boss, David Sullivan. Livesey previously served as editor-in-chief of Sullivan's Daily and Sunday Sport publications.

Several women have accused Sullivan, a billionaire businessman and West Ham co-owner, of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, in some cases when they were teenagers. Sullivan has strongly denied the allegations, which were made in a joint investigation by the Times and BBC Panorama. One alleged victim said Livesey arranged a meeting between her and Sullivan in 1999. Livesey said he had "no recollection" of introducing the young woman to Sullivan and rejected any suggestion that he played "any role whatsoever in that scenario, calling the allegation "abhorrent.

In an email to 5 Live staff, controller Heidi Dawson said Livesey had decided to leave, adding: "Tony has asked me to pass on his heartfelt thanks to the brilliant colleagues at 5 Live who he has had the pleasure of working with over the years. Livesey joined the BBC in 2006 and appeared on 5 Live from 2010, including a stint helming its drivetime show. He won radio awards for his reporting on losing a mother as a child and an ARIAS gold award for conducting the final interview with the late Dame Deborah James."