BBC chairman Richard Sharp denies giving former Prime Minister Boris Johnson financial advice
BBC chairman Richard Sharp has said he did not give Boris Johnson financial advice when he was prime minister.which came before the then-PM nominated him to chair the BBC board.Mr Sharp told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee on Tuesday he had not facilitated a loan to Mr Johnson.
Mr Sharp confirmed he had introduced his friend Sam Blyth to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in late 2020, which was shortly before his appointment at the BBC.Mr Sharp has previously said Mr Blyth had offered to act as guarantor on a loan - reportedly worth up to £800,000 - after reading about Mr Johnson's money troubles in the media.
He said he then "raised with Mr Blyth 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."Mr Sharp described his relationship with Mr Johnson as "broadly professional", and that he only knew of the prime minister's financial issues from press reports.
He added: "I did not provide and have not provided the former prime minister personal financial advice, I know nothing about his [financial] affairs, I never have done."Mr Sharp explained: "I said to him [Mr Blyth] at that time, 'You may be a family member, but you need to be very careful. Things need to be done by the book. There are rules in this country and these rules exist for a good reason.
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