- André Roden-Paul and David Sillitoe
- BBC News
image source,Alamy
From left are BBC Chairman Richard Sharp and BBC Chief Executive Tim Davie. The two have different positions, the latter being the editor-in-chief of the BBC.
The regulator is now scrutinizing allegations that BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped then Prime Minister Boris Johnson secure a £800,000 private loan before being appointed by the government.
British appointments commissioner William Shawcross said he would review Sharp’s hiring process to make sure it complied with the rules.
According to the “Sunday Times” report, Sharp participated in discussions in December 2020 about providing Johnson with a loan worth up to 800,000 pounds.
According to the report, Johnson’s distant relative, multi-millionaire Canadian businessman Sam Blyth (Sam Blyth) proposed to Sharpe the idea of acting as a guarantor for Johnson’s loan, and Sharpe then introduced Blyth to the then cabinet secretary, Civil Service Chief Simon Case.
“The Times” reported that Johnson, Sharp and Blyth then had dinner.
A few weeks later, in January 2021, Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, was appointed by the government as the new BBC chairman. His role is to maintain the independence of the BBC and ensure that the institution fulfills its mission.
The above reports have raised questions about how Downing Street decided to appoint Sharpe and whether the process was fair.
The chairman of the BBC is chosen by the Prime Minister on the advice of the Culture Secretary, who is advised by a panel.
Sharp, Johnson and the government have all denied any conflict of interest. On Monday, Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin also described the appointments as an “extremely robust process”.
Public Appointments Commissioner Shawcross announced the review the same day, after Labor wrote to him at the weekend asking him to do so.
Shawcross oversees the hiring process for public positions such as the governor of the Bank of England or the chairman of the BBC.
He said it was his role to “ensure that appointments are fair, open and merit-based”.
Sharp, who welcomed the commissioner’s review, said he had only “connected” with some people and had not arranged financing.
Sarah Healey, head of the Department of Digital Culture, Media and Sports, said she had been given 10 days to submit employment-related documents to Shawcross.
Earlier, Sharpe announced that the BBC’s board, which he chairs, would review any potential conflicts of interest at its next meeting, but gave no timetable.
The BBC’s review is not to investigate the reasons for his appointment, but to examine whether the declaration of interests is accurate, up-to-date, and whether it affects his job duties.
The body tasked with reviewing the matter is the BBC Nominations Committee, chaired by Sharpe. But the BBC understands that Sharp will recuse himself from this due diligence.
Send an internal email to clarify the incident
In an internal email to BBC staff on Monday, Sharpe said: “I strongly believe that I was appointed on merit and the Cabinet Office has confirmed that.”
In his letter, he explained the incident, saying that his “old friend” Blyth “knew that the then prime minister was under financial pressure. As a successful entrepreneur, he told me that he wanted to see if he could help.”
“He came to talk to me because he trusted me and wanted to find out from me what was appropriate. I told him it was sensitive in any case, especially since Blyth was Canadian and he should seek the cabinet office and to have the Cabinet Secretary advise him on the most appropriate course of action and whether it is feasible to provide financial support.”
“So Blythe asked me if I could put him in touch with the cabinet secretary.”
Sharpe added: “I went to meet the cabinet secretary and explained who Blyth was and how, as a relative of the then Prime Minister, he wanted to be as helpful as possible. I also reminded the cabinet secretary that I had submitted my application for the chairmanship of the BBC. “
“We both agreed that in order to avoid any conflict I should have nothing to do with the matter. There were no detailed proposals about arrangements and I did not know of any possibility of assistance or agreement on this.”
“I haven’t been involved in anything since that meeting,” Sharpe said.
In the House of Commons, Scottish National Party MP John Nicolson referred to the incident during an emergency question session on Monday, saying “Sharp attended a meeting of my culture and sport committee”.
“We questioned him about his £400,000 gift to the Conservative Party, but he didn’t disclose his role in securing a huge loan for the man who appointed him…. Even by the dirty standards of this government, it’s all a bit of a banana Republic (meaning everything can be bought with money), isn’t it?”
Cabinet Office minister Qi Zeming told MPs: “There is a very robust process for the appointment of the BBC chairman, including pre-appointment hearings.”
Former BBC radio presenter Jonathan Dimbleby said: “I have absolutely no reason to doubt Sharp’s integrity, the problem is in the way the appointment was made, at a time when there is an astonishing lack of public trust in our public institutions, everything has to be clear transparent.”
“Of course, it doesn’t mean there’s a conflict of interest, but it’s important that it looks like a conflict of interest.”
Johnson described any suggestion of wrongdoing as “complete nonsense”.
He told Sky News on Monday: “Let me tell you that Sharp is a good, sensible man, but he knows absolutely nothing about my personal financial situation and I can tell you that with 100 per cent certainty. “
Downing Street has denied the allegations of “cronyism”, and Prime Minister Sunak has also defended the BBC’s appointment process, saying it was “rigorous” and “transparent”.
Sharp was a pro bono adviser to the government’s business loan program during the pandemic and served as economic adviser to Johnson when he was mayor of London. Sharpe and Sunak also worked together at Goldman Sachs investment bank.
This is not the first time controversy has arisen over the BBC chairman’s relationship with the government. Over the years, many former politicians or people with close political ties have been appointed.
But in the past, there have also been times when the BBC chairman has clashed with the government. For example, Gavyn Davies, who was appointed by the Labor Party, resigned due to conflicts with the Tony Blair (also translated as Blair or Blair) government. .
Labor leader Keir Starmer said there were “clearly serious questions that need to be answered” on the loan issue, adding “we need to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible”.
The BBC chairman is a separate function from the BBC’s chief executive, who is now Tim Davie, the agency’s editor-in-chief and creative and operational leader for its global staff.