Bring in watchdogs over Johnson £800k loan & BBC boss link
Labour demands a probe amid claims of cronyism
BORIS Johnson must face a probe over claims richard sharp helped him get a loan guarantee before the then-PM recommended him for the job of bbC boss, Labour demanded.
Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds has written to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg amid claims of cronyism.
Former Tory donor Sharp admitted introducing millionaire Sam Blyth, a distant cousin of Johnson’s, to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.
It is reported that Canadian Blyth agreed to act as a guarantor to up to £800,000 of credit to fund the ex-party leader’s “day-to-day expenses” when he got into financial trouble in 2020.
Johnson, Sharp and Blyth had dinner at Chequers before the loan was finalised, though they deny discussing the MP’s finances.
Former Goldman Sachs banker Sharp had reportedly already applied for the role of BBC chairman at the time.
He was appointed in January 2021. As the loan story gathered pace yesterday, Uxbridge MP Johnson was again visiting Ukraine president Volodymr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Dodds said she was concerned he had breached the MPs’ code of conduct which states “holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial obligation to individuals or organisations that might influence the performance of their official duties”. Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell has also written to William Shawcross, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, to ask him to investigate the process of appointing Sharp.
She said in the letter: “It is vital that the public and Parliament can have trust in this process, and it is free from any real or perceived conflict of interest.”
Johnson’s spokesman dismissed the claims as “rubbish” and insisted his financial arrangements “have been properly declared”. He added: “Richard Sharp has never given any financial advice to Boris Johnson, nor has Johnson sought any from him.”
But the Sunday Times claimed the Cabinet Office wrote a letter telling Johnson to stop seeking Sharp’s advice about his personal finances.
Sharp told the paper: “There is not a conflict when I simply connected, at his request, Mr Blyth with the Cabinet Secretary and had no further involvement whatsoever.”
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “Richard Sharp was appointed as chairman of the BBC following a rigorous appointments process including assessment by a panel of experts, constituted according to the public appointments code.”
Despite his £159,000 salary as PM and earning more than £1million since he left No10, Johnson has relied on benefactors to fund his lavish lifestyle.
The loan claims cap off a bad few days for Rishi Sunak, who was last week fined for not wearing a seatbelt as he filmed a promotional video in a car.
And pressure mounts on Tory chair Nadhim Zahawi over his tax affairs.
It is vital the public can have trust in this process, and it is free from conflict of interest LUCY POWELL SHADOW CULTURE SECRETARY, LEFT, ON LOAN