Following the publication of a report accusing him of failing to disclose a conflict of interest with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the chairman of the BBC – Britain’s state broadcaster – Richard Sharp has tendered his resignation. He allegedly violated the UK’s Public Appointments Management Code. He will remain in office until the appointment of his successor, which will take place in June. In the crosshairs a loan obtained by the former conservative prime minister.
“I feel this matter could be a distraction from the broadcaster’s business if I were to stay in office until the end of my term,” said Sharp, a former banker, Conservative financier and personal friend of Johnson. The report revealed his role in helping the former prime minister borrow £800,000 – money used to cover family debts – by putting him in touch with his “old friend”, Canadian businessman Sam blyth. Shortly thereafter, in February 2021, Sharp was appointed president of the BBC on the recommendation of the government led by Johnson. With his decision to step aside, he said he wanted to put “the interests of the BBC first”.
The investigation into Sharp’s possible conflicts of interest had been launched after some revelations in the Sunday Times. In the past the man has worked in large investment banks such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, and over the years it is estimated that he has donated £ 400 million to the “Tories”. He admitted that he should have said he had arranged a meeting between Blyth and Simon Case, Johnson’s cabinet secretary. The investigations summarized in the report say that Sharp did not play a direct role “in facilitating, arranging or financing a loan for the former prime minister”, but concluded that “there is a risk of the perception that Sharp has been recommended for the nomination” which he has now decided to renounce.
