London Daily

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

Richard Sharp: PM declines to say if he backs under-fire BBC chairman

Richard Sharp: PM declines to say if he backs under-fire BBC chairman

Rishi Sunak has declined to say whether he has confidence in the BBC chairman, saying he cannot speculate while an inquiry is held into his appointment.
Richard Sharp is under scrutiny after it emerged he had acted as a go-between for a loan guarantee for then-prime minister Boris Johnson.

An MPs' committee has said Mr Sharp made "significant errors of judgement" in doing this while applying for the BBC job.

He insists he got the job on merit.

Questioned on Monday, Mr Sunak said he would not "pre-judge" the outcome of an investigation by the government's appointments watchdog.

Asked whether Mr Sharp had undermined the impartiality of the BBC, Mr Sunak said the controversy over his appointment related "to a process that happened before I was prime minister".

Mr Sunak said he couldn't "speculate" or "prejudge the outcome" of an inquiry by the independent office for public appointments, which he said would determine whether "rules and procedures were adhered to".

Later, asked directly if Mr Sunak had confidence in Mr Sharp, the prime minister's official spokesperson said: "Yes, we are confident the process was followed.

"This was a two-stage process, including assessment by an advisory assessment panel, constituted according to the public appointments code.

"But there is a review into this process and we will look at that carefully."

The spokesperson twice repeated No 10 was "confident" in the process but refused to expand further, citing the ongoing investigation.

At the fourth time of questioning, when asked "does Richard Sharp retain the Prime Minister's support?", the spokesperson replied: "Yes, again I don't have much more beyond what I have already said."

Pressure is growing on the BBC chairman after a critical report by MPs found he showed "significant errors of judgement" in acting as a go-between for Sam Blyth, a Canadian millionaire and distant cousin of Mr Johnson.

Mr Blyth had said he was willing to act as guarantor on a loan reportedly worth up to £800,000 for the then-PM after reading media reports he was in financial difficulty.

Mr Sharp, who was working as a Treasury adviser at the time, approached Simon Case, the country's most senior civil servant, to arrange a meeting between the pair.

At the time he had already applied for the BBC job and was advised to have no further involvement in the talks.

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee published a critical report on Sunday, concluding he should not have become involved in the facilitation of a loan while applying for the BBC job.

It found that Mr Sharp should have disclosed his knowledge of the talks when asked to provide a written account of his potential conflicts of interest during his application.

The report's authors urged him to "consider the impact his omissions will have on trust in him, the BBC and the public appointments process".

Mr Sharp insists his involvement in the matter ended with that single meeting, despite admitting he met socially with Mr Johnson and Mr Blyth at Chequers months later.

Last week he told MPs he "didn't arrange the loan" but did not refute acting as a "sort of introduction agency". He also described himself as a "go-between" for Mr Blyth and the Cabinet Office.

He admitted the affair had embarrassed the BBC but insisted he had "acted in good faith to ensure that the rules were followed".

"As a go-between I was not between Mr Blyth and Mr Johnson, but I was actually seeking to ensure that due process was followed by ensuring that Mr Blyth had contact with the Cabinet Office before he would do anything to help his cousin," he added.

Veteran BBC broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby told BBC Newsnight "what [Mr Sharp] should do honourably is fall on his sword".

He warned the credibility of the corporation in the public's view was at stake, adding "the BBC needs this like it needs a hole in the head".

The chairman is in charge of upholding and protecting the BBC's independence and ensuring the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain, among other things.

Under the terms of the BBC Charter, the government must hold a "fair and open competition" to find a suitable candidate.

Once ministers have chosen a preferred candidate from the applicants, the prospective chairman has to submit themselves for questioning by a parliamentary select committee.

The culture secretary can formally dismiss them from the post following consultation with the rest of the BBC's governing board if they decide they are "unable, unfit or unwilling" to perform their duty.
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
×