The appointment of BBC chairman Richard Sharp will be reviewed by the UK commissioner and the BBC board to investigate the conflict of interest surrounding the Boris Johnson loan scandal

UPDATED 07:18: Britain’s Public Appointments Commissioner is to review the process behind the appointment of BBC chairman Richard Sharp, as the fallout from Boris Johnson’s credit scandal continues to be felt.

British Commissioner William Shawcross confirmed in the last few minutes that he will investigate Sharp’s recruitment, which was approved by the government more than two years ago. Shawcross said the review would ensure Sharp’s hiring process “complies” with government regulations.

The influential Commissioner for Public Appointments is appointed by the King and his main responsibility is to independently ensure that appointments comply with the UK Cabinet Code.

NEWEST: BBC chairman Richard Sharp has asked the BBC board to investigate conflicts of interest in the wake of the Boris Johnson loan scandal that broke at the weekend.

Sharp has been under pressure since a bomb Sunday times Report saying he helped organize the Prime Minister’s meeting with a sponsor for an £800,000 ($990,000) loan in 2020 before being appointed leader by the government a few weeks later.

The report sparked widespread allegations of a conflict of interest surrounding Sharp’s appointment, and the opposition Labor Party called for an investigation. Former Goldman Sachs banker Sharp is a former adviser to current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party in the past.

A message to Sharp’s staff in the last hour read: “The BBC Board of Appeals Committee is responsible for the regular review of conflicts of interest of board members and I have agreed with the board’s senior independent director, Sir Nicholas Serota, that the committee will review it and report back to the Council at the next meeting and publish the conclusions in the interest of transparency.”

The Board’s work cannot be retrospective and will not consider the actual appointment of Sharp, which is a matter for the Government.

“Our work at the BBC is based on trust,” added Sharp. “We have many challenges at the BBC and I know that kind of distraction is not welcome.”

The move comes hours before senior officials are due to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which will no doubt deal with the Sharp saga.

The Sunday Times reported that in October 2020 Sharp met with Sam Blyth, a Canadian businessman and distant cousin of the former prime minister, who allegedly floated the idea of ​​guaranteeing a credit facility for Johnson’s loan, and Sharp to give the best advice discuss how to proceed. The BBC’s now chairman agreed to help Blyth and introduced him to Simon Case, the cabinet secretary and head of public services, the newspaper reported.

Sharp’s post today says he has known Blyth for 40 years and after putting him in touch with Case and reminding Case that he was running for the BBC presidency, he agreed to avoid any conflict with the I have nothing further not to do. “

Britain’s Cabinet Office denied all allegations of conflict of interest, but the report undoubtedly raised concerns about the relationship between the government and the BBC at a time when the relationship was flourishing, with Conservatives seemingly content with the way Sharp and general manager Tim Davie has commanded the ship for the last few years.

The BBC was quick to insist it had nothing to do with the appointment, with a spokesman saying: “The BBC has no role to play in the recruitment of the chairman and all questions are a matter for The government.”

Sharp’s full grade

Dear guests,

You may have seen the coverage of my appointment as BBC chairman this weekend.

As President of the BBC I have a responsibility to you and our audience to ensure that the BBC is always held in high esteem and I do not want this episode to detract from your important work. I wanted to write you directly to get the facts straight.

Before my appointment I introduced an old friend of mine – and then Prime Minister’s distant cousin – Sam Blythe to the Cabinet Secretary, as Sam wanted to support Boris Johnson.

I was not involved in granting a loan or arranging a guarantee and I did not arrange financing. What I did was introduce Sam Blythe to the appropriate government official.

Sam Blythe, who I have known for over 40 years, lives in London and after becoming aware of the financial burden of the then Prime Minister and being a successful entrepreneur, he told me he wanted to see if he could help.

He spoke to me because he trusted me and wanted to explore with me what the right path might be. I told him that this was certainly a sensitive area, especially as Sam was Canadian, and that he should try to get the Cabinet Office involved and have the Cabinet Secretary advise on eligibility and whether Sam even wanted any financial support. Bidding was possible. Accordingly, Sam asked me to put him in touch with the Cabinet Secretary.

At the time I was working in Downing Street as a special economic adviser to the Treasury during the pandemic and was applying to become chairman of the BBC. I went to the Cabinet Secretary and explained to him who Sam was and that, as the then Prime Minister’s cousin, he wanted to help him if he could. I also reminded the Cabinet Secretary that I had submitted my application for the BBC chairmanship. We agreed that I should have nothing more to do with the case to avoid conflict. At this stage there were no details of the proposed arrangements and I did not know if help was possible or could be arranged.

Since that meeting I have not been involved in any process whatsoever. Even now I don’t know more than what a loan or a reported guarantee is reported in the media.

I now understand that the Cabinet Office has a recording of this meeting and that it included advising the Prime Minister that I should not be involved in order to avoid conflict or the appearance of a conflict with my BBC application.

The Cabinet Office confirmed that the recruitment process was carried out properly and that I was appointed on merit following a process that was independently audited. Furthermore, they confirmed that they advised me at the time not to interfere in any way with processes that may or may not be taking place, precisely to avoid a conflict or the perception of a conflict of interest.

Although this issue arose before I joined the BBC, it is a distraction for the organization that I regret. I’m really sorry.

I am proud and honored to have been appointed President of the BBC. I have never hidden my long-standing relationship with the former Prime Minister, but I firmly believe that I was appointed on merit, which was confirmed by the Cabinet.

We have many challenges at the BBC and I know this kind of distraction is not welcome.

Our work at the BBC is based on trust. While the appointment of the BBC chairman is entirely a matter for the government, I want to ensure that all appropriate guidelines have been followed within the BBC since he joined. The BBC Board’s Nomination Committee is responsible for the regular review of board members’ conflicts of interest and I have agreed with the Board’s Senior Independent Director, Sir Nicholas Serota, that at its next meeting, which reports to the Board, the Committee will will review. and in the interest of transparency publish the conclusions.

I look forward to continuing our work together.

Best wishes,

Richard

Richard Sharp
BBC chairman