BBC Chairman Resigns Amid Boris Johnson Cronyism Allegations

Facts

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) chairman Richard Sharp resigned on Friday after an independent report claimed he didn't adequately disclose a potential conflict of interest in his role in securing a loan for former PM Boris Johnson prior to his appointment.¹
• The former banker helped facilitate an £800K ($1M) loan to Johnson in 2020, having been approached by Canadian businessman and friend Sam Blyth over the matter. Sharp was appointed BBC chairman in February 2021.²
• The investigation, led by King's Counsel Adam Heppinstall, alleges that Sharp twice breached the code governing public appointments by not disclosing the extent of his involvement, risking the perception that the BBC's chairman wasn't independent of the former PM and Conservative party leader.³
• The investigation also found that Johnson personally approved Sharp's appointment, and those who were running the independent recruitment process were told that Sharp was the only candidate that the government would support.⁴
• In a video released on Friday morning, Sharp — due to stay on until June — defended his position, saying any breaches were "inadvertent and not material," but said he decided to step down as the issue had become a "distraction" for the BBC and its "good work."⁵
• Sharp worked at Goldman Sachs in the early 2000s, where he was once the boss of current PM Rishi Sunak. Sharp also worked as an adviser to Sunak during the COVID pandemic and has previously been a Conservative party donor.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Independent, ³Sky News, ⁴Guardian (a), ⁵ITV News, and ⁶Guardian (b).

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by New Statesman. Sharp was right to have gone and should've left sooner. This story is yet another example of the toxic Johnson and Tory hierarchy attempting to jockey right-wing supporters within what should be independent selection processes. For the BBC to remain a trusted source, Sharp had to go.
• Right narrative, as provided by Spectator (UK). While this incident was undeniably an oversight on Sharp's part, it isn't a deliberate case of cronyism as portrayed by the media. Sharp has taken accountability for his error by stepping down, and that should be the end of this so-called scandal.