The BBC has been faced with an onslaught of criticism following allegations that the public broadcaster paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.

UK culture minister Lucy Frazer has spoken with BBC Director General Tim Davie about the “deeply concerning” allegations and BBC has responded by suspending a male member of staff and conducting an internal investigation. The BBC’s response was called “derisory” by the former home secretary, Priti Patel, while opposition Labour party lawmaker Rachel Reeves said “more needs to be done” to prevent scandals.

The allegations were first reported by The Sun newspaper, which cited the young person’s mother as saying that an unnamed BBC presenter paid her child more than £35,000 (US$45,000) for the images over a three-year period.

In a statement, the BBC confirmed that it “first became aware of a complaint in May” and upon hearing of “new allegations of a different nature”, contacted the external authorities in line with its protocols. The Metropolitan Police later released a statement confirming that the BBC had contacted it over the matter but no formal referral or allegation had been made.

BBC Director General Tim Davie has condemned the unsubstantiated rumours being made about some of the BBC’s presenting talent. In an internal email sent to staff, Davie noted the BBC takes “any allegations seriously” and has “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations”.

Since the allegations were first reported, some BBC presenters have taken to social media to deny that they are the broadcaster in question. The BBC has been faced with criticism for its handling of the allegations and has been called upon to provide the victim and his family with “a full and transparent investigation”.

The incident follows the resignation of British star TV host Phillip Schofield from the ITV channel in May after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger colleague. The BBC is in the process of conducting an internal investigation into the allegations and has suspended a male member of staff in the meantime.

The broadcaster has also contacted the external authorities and is currently working to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.