BBC chairman resigns, deepening unrest at UK broadcaster

Richard Sharp has resigned after an investigation concluded he failed to disclose his involvement in the loan arrangement for the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

BBC Chairman Richard Sharp resigned on Friday after an inquiry concluded he was not had not revealed his involvement in arranging a loan of almost a million dollars for the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Mr. Sharp said in a statement shortly before the report was published that the omission was "inadvertent and immaterial" but that he had decided to step down from the broadcaster's board to "prioritize the interests of the BBC".

His departure adds to the turmoil that has surrounded Britain's public broadcaster in recent months over accusations of political bias and questions about his close ties to the Conservative government British. The BBC's role has been relentlessly criticized in an era of polarized politics and freewheeling social media.

She has hung her most high-profile personality on on-air, Gary Lineker, last month after he posted a tweet comparing the government's immigration policy to that of Germany in the 1930s. It sparked a walkout by BBC sports staff and forced her to broadcast "Match of the Day", its flagship weekly football programme, without commentary.

The BBC has settled the dispute with Mr Lineker by promising to review its policies governing the use of social media by its on-air personalities. But the suspension shone the spotlight on Mr Sharp because he refused to quit his job, even though he was under investigation for his role in loaning Mr Johnson.

Mr. Sharp's compromised position also meant he could not defend the BBC at a time when it was under heavy criticism from all quarters - for the haphazard application of its social media guidelines, as well as for the settlement with Mr. Lineker, whom many Tories criticized. as a capitulation.

The episode sparked calls from the opposition Labor Party for Mr Sharp to resign. Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to distance himself from Mr Sharp, even though the two had previously worked together at Goldman Sachs, where Messrs. Both Sunak and Sharp had been bankers.

Mr. Sharp, a top Conservative Party donor, said he regretted not raising the issue of the loan with a nominating committee before taking the chairmanship. The report revealed that he helped facilitate a loan guarantee worth £800,000, or $996,000, for Mr Johnson.

“ I wish, in hindsight, that this perceived potential conflict of interest was something I had considered mentioning,” he said in his statement. "I would once again like to apologize for this omission - however unintentional - and for the distraction these events have caused the BBC."

The BBC chief executive Tim Davie, who is himself under pressure for his role in the dispute with Mr Lineker, credited Mr Sharp "for his service to the BBC and for the drive and intellect he brought to his time as chairman".

Despite all the criticism of Mr Sharp's role in loaning Mr Johnson, media analysts said that he deserved credit for brokering a deal with the government in January 2022 that guaranteed the licensing fees of the BBC, the main source of his funding, for the next six years.

"Mr. Sharp was the most effective president at the most delicate time in his history and secured his future," said Claire Enders, London-based media researcher and founder of Enders Analysis. She said the deal was a "miracle", given the hostility many in government felt towards the BBC.