London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 2025

Richard Sharp: Watchdog review begins into BBC chairman's hiring

The process of hiring BBC chairman Richard Sharp in exchange to £800,000 benefits to Boris Johnson is to be reviewed by the watchdog that oversees how public appointments are made.
The job of BBC chairman is different to that of BBC director general Tim Davie, who is the BBC's editor-in-chief, as well as creative and operational leader responsible for its global workforce.

The watchdog review follows claims that shortly before being given the job, Mr Sharp helped the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, secure a loan guarantee agreement.

William Shawcross, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, said the review would ensure the hiring followed rules.

Mr Sharp said he "simply connected" people and did not arrange financing.

According to The Sunday Times, Mr Sharp was involved in discussions about a loan worth up to £800,000 for Mr Johnson in December 2020.

The paper reports that multimillionaire Canadian businessman Sam Blyth - a distant cousin of Mr Johnson - raised with Mr Sharp the idea of acting as Mr Johnson's guarantor for a loan. Mr Sharp then introduced Mr Blyth to Simon Case, the then-cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, the Times says.

Mr Johnson, Mr Sharp and Mr Blyth later had dinner together, the Times reports.

A few weeks later, in January 2021, Mr Sharp - a former Goldman Sachs banker - was announced as the government's choice for the new BBC chairman. His role entails upholding and protecting the BBC's independence and ensuring it fulfils its mission.

The timing of these reported events has led to questions about how Downing Street decided he should have the job and whether the process was fair.

The government's choice for the BBC chairman job is ultimately decided by the prime minister, on the advice of the culture secretary, who is in turn advised by a panel.

Mr Sharp, Mr Johnson and the government all deny there was a conflict of interest. On Monday, Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin described the appointment as an "incredibly robust process".

Mr Shawcross - who is in charge of regulating how people are hired to public roles, such as the Bank of England governor or BBC chairman - announced his review on Monday, after Labour had written to him over the weekend calling for him to do so.

He said his job was to "ensure appointments are made fairly, openly and on merit".

Mr Sharp said he welcomed the commissioner's review. The top civil servant at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Sarah Healey, has already said she has been asked to submit documents about the hiring to Mr Shawcross in the next 10 days.

Earlier, Mr Sharp announced that the BBC Board - which he chairs - would hold a review into any potential conflicts of interest when it next meets, without giving a timeline.

This BBC review is not an investigation into what led to his appointment - but will look at whether any declarations of personal of interests are accurate, up to date and whether they affect his role.

The body that will look at this is the BBC Nominations Committee, which is headed by Mr Sharp as chairman. However, the BBC understands he would recuse himself from this exercise in due diligence.

In an email to BBC staff on Monday, Mr Sharp said: "I believe firmly that I was appointed on merit, which the Cabinet Office have also confirmed."

Giving his account of events, Mr Sharp said his "old friend" Mr Blyth became "aware of the financial pressures on the then-prime minister, and being a successful entrepreneur, he told me he wanted to explore whether he could assist".

"He spoke to me because he trusts me and wanted to check with me what the right way to go about this could be. I told him that this was a sensitive area in any event, particularly so as Sam [Blyth] is a Canadian, and that he should seek to have the Cabinet Office involved and have the cabinet secretary advise on appropriateness and indeed whether any financial support Sam might wish to provide was possible.

"Accordingly Sam asked me whether I would connect him with the cabinet secretary."

Mr Sharp added: "I went to see the cabinet secretary and explained who Sam was, and that as a cousin of the then prime minister he wanted to help him if possible. I also reminded the cabinet secretary that I had submitted my application for the position of BBC chairman.

"We both agreed that to avoid any conflict that I should have nothing further to do with the matter. At that point there was no detail on the proposed arrangements and I had no knowledge of whether any assistance was possible, or could be agreed."

"Since that meeting I have had no involvement whatsoever with any process," he added.

In the Commons on Monday, SNP MP John Nicolson brought up the issue in an urgent question, saying: "Mr Sharp appeared before the Culture Select Committee on which I sit.

"We grilled him about his £400,000 gift to the Conservative Party. However he did not disclose his role in getting the man appointing him a huge loan….

"Even by the grubby standards of this government, it's all a bit banana republic is it not?"

In response, Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin described the appointment as an "incredibly robust process".

He told MPs: "There was a very robust process in place for the appointment of the chairman at the BBC, including a pre-appointment hearing."

Former BBC broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby said: "I have no reason at all to doubt Richard Sharp's integrity. The problem is the manner of the appointment. In times when the public is alarmingly lacking in trust of our public institutions, everything has to be crystal clear and transparent.

"It does not mean, of course, there was a conflict of interest, but the appearance of a conflict of interest is what is important."

Mr Johnson described any claims of improper behaviour as "a load of complete nonsense".

He told Sky News on Monday: "Let me just tell you, Richard Sharp is a good and wise man but he knows absolutely nothing about my personal finances - I can tell you that for 100% ding dang sure."

Downing Street has rejected allegations of "cronyism" and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also defended the BBC appointment process as "rigorous" and "transparent".

Mr Sharp was an unpaid adviser on the government's business loan scheme during the pandemic, and was an economic adviser to Mr Johnson during his time as London mayor. Mr Sharp and Mr Sunak also worked together at Goldman Sachs investment bank.

It is not the first time there have been questions about a BBC chairman's links with the government. Many former politicians or people with close political ties have been appointed over the years.

But also there have been times where a an BBC chairman has clashed with government, like Labour appointment Gavyn Davies who resigned over a clash with Tony Blair's government.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said there were "clearly serious questions to answer" on the loan row and said "we need to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible".
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
×