Sharp denies role in Johnson loan before BBC appointment

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has denied facilitating a loan of up to £800,000 for Boris Johnson before the then-prime minister backed his appointment to lead the broadcaster.

In a bruising grilling by MPs, Mr Sharp insisted that he “didn’t arrange the loan” despite admitting that he introduced his friend Sam Blyth, who wanted to help the then-prime minister with his financial troubles, to the Cabinet Office shortly before taking on the BBC role.

The former Goldman Sachs banker said he regretted causing “embarrassment for the BBC”, but appeared to show no remorse about withholding information about his involvement in the matter from the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee while he was in the running for the BBC post.

Hauled in front of the committee again yesterday, Mr Sharp conceded that he acted as a “sort of introduction agency”.

“As a go-between I was not between Mr Blyth and Mr Johnson, but I was actually seeking to ensure that due process was followed by ensuring that Mr Blyth had contact with the Cabinet Office before he would do anything to help his cousin,” he added.

Mr Sharp said he then raised with Mr Case “the fact that I’d submitted my application to be the chair of the BBC and that therefore to avoid a conflict, or perception of conflict, I could have – and we agreed – no further participation in whatever transpired whatsoever, and I didn’t.”

He admitted he went to see Mr Johnson to discuss the chairmanship before he applied, but said their relationship was “broadly professional”.