London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

BBC chairman ‘helped secure loan worth up to £800,000 for Boris Johnson’

BBC chairman ‘helped secure loan worth up to £800,000 for Boris Johnson’

A BBC chairman reportedly helped Boris Johnson arrange a guarantee on a loan – of up to £800,000 – just weeks before he was recommended for the job by the then-prime minister.

Labour is calling for an investigation after allegations surfaced in The Sunday Times.

The newspaper reports that Tory donor Richard Sharp was involved in talks about financing Mr Johnson in late 2020.

Mr Sharp is believed to have introduced multimillionaire Canadian businessman Sam Blyth – a distant cousin of Mr Johnson, who had proposed to act as the then-PM’s guarantor for a credit facility – to the former prime minster.

According to the Sunday Times, the three men then had dinner at Chequers before the loan was finalised.

Mr Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, was announced as the government’s choice for the BBC chairman role in January 2021.

Richard Sharp is said to have been involved in the PM’s finances from November 2020

A spokesperson for Mr Johnson dismissed the Sunday Times report as ‘rubbish’ and insisted his financial arrangements ‘have been properly declared’.

‘Richard Sharp has never given any financial advice to Boris Johnson. He did indeed have dinner with Mr Sharp, whom he has known for almost 20 years, and with his cousin. So what? Big deal.’

Mr Sharp told The Sunday Times: ‘There is not a conflict when I simply connected, at his request, Mr Blyth with the cabinet secretary and had no further involvement whatsoever.’

Foreign secretary James Cleverly told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: ‘I know (Mr Sharp) is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience. I have absolutely no doubt he was appointed on merit.’
Anneliese Dodds has called for ‘serious questions’ to be asked


Mr Johnson was recently given a £1million donation by tech investor Christopher Harborne, it has emerged.

Mr Johnson toured war-damage in Kyiv yesterday. As PM he was accused of using visits and calls to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky to distract from domestic problems.

Labour has now written to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg, demanding an investigation.

Party chair Anneliese Dodds cited the MPs’ code of conduct that ‘holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties’.

She added: ‘Serious questions need to be asked of Johnson: why has this money never been declared, and what exactly did he promise these very generous friends in return for such lavish loans?’

When contacted, a BBC spokesman said: ‘The BBC plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the Government.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
×