Richard Sharp, the chairman of the BBC, has resigned from his post after it was found that he breached government rules regarding public appointments.
Sharp, who is a Conservative Party donor, helped arrange a loan for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, just weeks before he was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.
The incident has put pressure on the publicly funded national broadcaster, which has been accused of lacking neutrality.
Sharp has said that he is resigning to prioritize the interests of the BBC after making an “inadvertent” breach of the rules.
A report on the incident by senior lawyer Adam Heppinstall is due to be published on Friday.
The investigation found that Sharp had breached the governance code for public appointments, but Heppinstall’s view is that a breach does not necessarily invalidate an appointment.
Sharp has said that he did not play any part in the facilitation, arrangement, or financing of a loan for the former Prime Minister, but he should have disclosed his role in setting up a meeting between UK Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and a businessman who was offering financial help to Johnson.
Sharp has apologized for the oversight and will remain in his post until a replacement is found.
The BBC chairman is a post filled on the recommendation of the government.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
