BBC chair Richard Sharp ‘helped friend to paid job’ advising corporation
The embattled BBC chair, Richard Sharp, is facing a fresh row after reportedly helping a close friend land a paid role advising the corporation on editorial standards and impartiality.
Sharp, 67, is under pressure to resign after it was revealed he had helped then-prime minister Boris Johnson secure a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000 in 2020. Sharp was appointed as BBC chair weeks later in 2021. He is awaiting the result of an investigation by Adam Heppinstall KC, who was tasked by the government with re-examining Sharp’s appointment process.
His reputation took another hit this month, after the BBC’s controversial move to suspend the Match of the Day host Gary Lineker after he criticised the government’s language when discussing asylum seekers.
According to the Sunday Times, Sharp advanced Caroline Daniel for an advisory position in a 2021 review of its leadership and editorial procedures. The review was triggered by the scandal surrounding Martin Bashir’s 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.
The public advertisement for the editorial adviser role – which was described as paying £15,000 a year for approximately 15 days’ work – stated that candidates “need to be demonstrably independent of the BBC at the point of appointment”, the Sunday Times said.
Sharp allegedly introduced Daniel to the BBC’s senior independent director, who was responsible for the appointment and ultimately hired her.
The Sunday Times quoted an anonymous source close to the review as saying: “Other people were uncomfortable about their relationship – they felt she was being shoehorned into the review … However, it was useful having her perspective.”
Speaking to the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee in
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