BBC chairman Richard Sharp resigns

BBC Chairman Richard Sharp has resigned, just moments before a report was published finding that he did breach rules when failing to declare his involvement in an £800,000 loan to ex-PM Boris Johnson. The investigation by Adam Heppinstall KC found Mr Sharp breached the code on public appointments by failing to inform the committee that interviewed him.

Confirming his decision to quit, Richard Sharp says: I feel that this matter will be a distraction from the BBC’s good work if I were to remain in post until the end of my term, I have therefore this morning resigned as the BBC Chair to the Secretary of State and the Board.”

He thanked Mr Heppinstall for his work and noted it was the KC’s view that: “While I did breach the governance code for public appointments, he states very clearly that a breach does not necessarily invalidate an appointment”.

“I have therefore this morning resigned as BBC Chair to the Secretary of State, and to the Board.

“It was proposed to me that I stay on as Chair until the end of June while the process to appoint my successor is undertaken, and I will of course do that in the interests of the Corporation’s stability and continuity.”

Mr Sharp said: “Being the Chairman of the BBC has been an enormous privilege”.

The BBC board has issued a statement saying: “We accept and understand Richard’s decision to stand down”.

“We want to put on record our thanks to Richard, who has been a valued and respected colleague, and a very effective Chairman of the BBC. The BBC Board believes that Richard Sharp is a person of integrity.”

Richard Sharp helped put Boris Johnson’s distant cousin, Sam Blyth, in touch with Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, with Mr Blyth saying he wanted to provide the then-Prime Minister with a loan facility.

Mr Sharp believed that having informed Mr Case at the time about his ongoing application to become BBC chairman, he did not then need to declare his involvement with Sam Blyth to the appointment panel.

The inquiry says Mr Sharp’s breach created a “perception of a conflict of interest”.

“There may well have been a risk of a perception that Mr Sharp would not be independent from the former Prime Minister, if appointed. I make no findings about whether Mr Sharp had any intention of seeking to influence the former Prime Minister in this manner.”

Allies of Mr Sharp believe the investigation squashes any suggestion that Mr Sharp only got the BBC chairman job because of his role in facilitating the loan facility for Mr Johnson.

The report was commissioned in February by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, after the Sunday Times first revealed his role in facilitating an £800,000 loan to Mr Johnson.

Speaking to the House of Commons DCMS Committee in February, Mr Sharp confirmed: “Mr Blyth is a personal friend of mine who I’ve known for some time”.

“As a result of press reports that he had read in September, he raised with me at that time his concern that his cousin – the Prime Minister – was reported in these press reports to have some difficulties.

“Mr Blyth raised with me the fact that he was interested in feeling about whether he should do something to help.”

Speaking to reporters in January, Boris Johnson said: “Richard Sharp is a good and a wise man, but he knows absolutely nothing about my personal finances – I can tell you that for 100% ding dang sure”.

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In response to the resignation of Richard Sharp, Labour’s Lucy Powell has demanded a “a truly independent and robust process to replace” him.

“This breach has caused untold damage to the reputation of the BBC and seriously undermined its independence as a result of the Conservatives’ sleaze and cronyism. This comes after 13 years of the Tories doing everything they can to defend themselves and their mates.

“From Owen Patterson to Dominic Raab, and now Richard Sharp, instead of doing what’s best for the country the PM was more interested in defending his old banking boss. The PM should have sacked him weeks ago. Instead it took this investigation, called by Labour, to make him resign.

“Rishi Sunak should urgently establish a truly independent and robust process to replace Sharp to help restore some trust in the BBC after his government has tarnished it so much.”

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