BBC Chairman Has ‘Undermined Trust In BBC’ With His Role In Arranging Loan For UK PM Boris Johnson – Damning Report Published

deadline.com:

BBC chairman Richard Sharp undermined public trust in the BBC and more widely the public appointments system with his failure to reveal he had been involved in arranging a loan of £800,000 for then UK prime minister Boris Johnson, politicians have concluded in a damning report published today.

The contents of the report, which found Sharp “guilty of a serious error of judgment,” will heap more pressure on the Corporation’s chairman as he awaits the results of two other enquiries into the matter.

The Sunday Times newspaper revealed a few weeks ago that Sharp – previously the boss of current UK prime minister Rishi Sunak – had been involved in discussions leading to the arrangement of a loan for Johnson, at the same time as he was applying to become the BBC chairman.

Johnson awarded him the role a fortnight later. In its report, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee, wrote that Sharp’s failure to reveal his links to the PM  was also a “breach of the standards expected” of individuals applying for public appointments.