BBC chair Richard Sharp ‘helped friend get paid job’ advising corporation

BBC chair Richard Sharp appearing before the DCMS committee after the disclosure that he helped former prime minister Boris Johnson secure a loan of up to £800,000. Photograph: House of Commons/PA

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.