After an independent investigation determined that BBC Chairman Richard Sharp had broken public appointment rules by failing to disclose a potential conflict of interest in his role in securing a $1 million loan for the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, he (Sharp) resigned on Friday.
At a time when political scrutiny of the British public broadcaster is at an all-time high, he takes his departure. The focus of British news coverage last month was a high-profile debate on neutrality involving handsomely compensated presenter Gary Lineker.
In February, a committee of parliament found that Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker who was appointed BBC chairman in 2021, had committed "significant errors of judgment" by neglecting to disclose his role in the transaction. Sharp has been under pressure ever since.
In order to give the British government some time to come up with a proper replacement to run the broadcaster, which is financed by a license fee paid by TV-viewing households, Sharp said he had agreed to remain on until the end of June.
The public appointments watchdog carried out the investigation, which looked into how the government chose Sharp to lead the corporation in 2021.
“I have decided that it is right to prioritise the interests of the BBC,” Sharp said in a statement. “I have, therefore, this morning, resigned as the BBC chair.”
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