Johnson and Sharp’s Alleged Connections and their Effect on BBC Appointment Revealed
The Sunday Times has recently published details about a government cabinet office memo detailing alleged advice from Richard Sharp, the recently appointed President of the BBC public channel, given to the conservative politician before he was officially announced to the public in January of 2021. On December 22nd, 2020, Johnson was reportedly told to no longer request Sharp’s advice on his “personal financial matters.”
The cabinet office document was written after Johnson and Sharp sought out advice in early December. According to reports, Sharp had helped Johnson obtain a bank loan of up to 800,000 pounds (910,000 euros). Both men discussed helping Johnson with his finances on two occasions, the newspaper added.
The loan was eventually obtained by Johnson in February of 2021. In response to the developing connections between Sharp and Johnson, the British Commissioner has recently announced they will be reviewing whether the 2021 appointment of Sharp as President of the BBC complied with the necessary standards.
Sharp has since repeatedly denied advising Johnson or having detailed knowledge of his finances.