A House of Commons committee has said BBC chair Richard Sharp made ‘significant errors of judgement’ when failing to declare his role in the facilitation of a loan to the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
A report published by the DCMS Committee Sunday calls on Mr Sharp to “reflect on the potential damage caused to trust in the corporation”. The report calls it ‘highly unsatisfactory’ that the Committee’s subsequent approval of his appointment has been cited by the Government as a defence that the process was properly followed.
“The public appointments process can only work effectively if everyone is open and transparent, yet Richard Sharp chose not to tell either the appointment panel or our Committee about his involvement in the facilitation of a loan to Boris Johnson,” said Acting Chair of the DCMS Committee Damian Green MP: Such a significant error of judgment meant we were not in the full possession of the facts when we were required to rule on his suitability for the role of BBC Chair.”
Mr Sharp was called before the DCMS Committee on Tuesday after The Sunday Times alleged that in late 2020 Mr Sharp introduced multimillionaire Canadian businessman Sam Blyth, who had proposed to act as Mr Johnson’s guarantor for an £800,000 credit facility, to the cabinet secretary.
The Committee also notes that the issue of why the Cabinet Secretary believed Mr Sharp had been giving financial advice to Mr Johnson, which Mr Sharp denies, remains unresolved.
Mr Sharp’s spokesperson said he did not facilitate an introduction between Mr Johnson and Mr Blyth and he was not involved in the arrangement of a loan between them. However, he has apologised to the committee for not being more open.
