Andrew Marr has tonight said ‘it would be much better for the BBC if Richard Sharp stepped aside’
He added: "The rules on public appointments are clear: you have to be absolutely frank about any possible conflict of interest."
Elaborating on the situation, Marr said: "The following facts don't seem to be in contention. Even when he was prime minister, Boris Johnson needed money, and lots of it.""Mr Sharpe was an old friend and working with another old friend Sam Blyth, a distant cousin of Johnson's, he helped discuss a loan for the PM worth up to £800,000. He was working at Number 10 and informed the cabinet secretary Simon Case, which was proper.
Questioning whether Mr Sharpe told the BBC board before he was appointed how close his relationship with Boris Johnson was, Marr highlighted the Chairman didn’t disclose the close relationship to the Commons culture committee.
Marr added that "there's a much bigger point here than process", continuing to highlight that many BBC chairs have roots in politics, listing Marmaduke Hussey, Gavyn Davies and Chris Patten to name but a few.He continued: "These are new times, much harder times for the BBC. There is immense public scepticism about the organisation, attacked with a fury on social media as it never was in the old days.
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