BBC Chairman Richard Sharp resigned on Friday after an independent report found he breached rules by not disclosing a potential conflict of interest in his role in securing a $1 million loan for the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson.
His exit amid a cronyism row comes at a time of heightened political scrutiny of the publicly-funded British broadcaster's impartiality. A row with high profile presenter Gary Lineker over tweets criticising government policy dominated national headlines last month.
