BBC’S Sharp forced to quit in anti-tory witch-hunt, say MPS
FORMER BBC chairman Richard Sharp was the victim of an anti-tory witch-hunt, Conservatives have claimed.
Former housing minister Esther Mcvey said: “It’s going to be one after another now, going for all thetories in various industries.”
Mr Sharp resigned as BBC chairman after being found to have broken rules by failing to disclose that he played a role in getting former prime minister Boris Johnson an £800,000 loan guarantee.
A review by barrister Adam Heppinstall found the former Tory donor twice breached the code governing public appointments, risking the perception that he was not independent from the then-prime minister.
In his resignation statement, Mr Sharp insisted his breach was “inadvertent and not material”.
Ms Mcvey said there had been a campaign to oust Mr Sharp, telling GB News: “It was another Conservative scalp.”
And a formertory Cabinet minister said the ex-banker had been “thrown under a bus”, adding: “He’s probably had a bruising time and clearly this was some kind of witch-hunt as well. No doubt about that.” Campaigners against the BBC licence fee said the affair strengthened the case for reform.
Rebecca Ryan, campaign director of
Defund the BBC, said: “The rise and fall of the latest BBC chairman is symptomatic of how power operates in this country and a further sign that the state broadcaster – and mouthpiece of ‘the Blob’ – is in its death throes.
“The BBC’S days are numbered unless it finds a new funding model fast.”
Contenders to replace Mr Sharp overseeing the BBC include Muriel Gray, former host of Channel 4 music show Thetube, who is a BBC board non-executive director and its member for Scotland.
The choice of the new chairman ultimately lies with the Prime Minister who has the final say, but there were calls last night for a new appointment system.
Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby said the current process “creates suspicion about the role of a prime minister” and called for a cross-party board “made up of all political parties” to make the decision.