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”. (Express)