BORIS Johnson was reportedly told to stop asking BBC chair Richard Sharp for “advice” on his “personal financial matters”, just days before it was announced he had been appointed to the broadcaster's board.
According to The Sunday Times, Johnson was warned by officials on December 22 2020 to stop discussing his financial arrangements with Sharp, who was due to be announced as BBC chair on January 6 2021.
The former banker has been facing calls to stand down after it emerged that in late 2020 he had introduced Sam Blyth to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to discuss whether Blyth, a distant cousin of Johnson, could act as a guarantor for a loan facility for the then-prime minister.
Sharp has previously said he will remain in his role and is set to be grilled by MPs next month on the controversy.
A spokesperson for Johnson said that Sharp has “never given any financial advice to Boris Johnson, nor has Johnson sought any financial advice from him”.
They added: “Neither Johnson nor anyone acting on his behalf spoke to anyone in the FCDO regarding Blyth for any public appointment.”
The spokesperson added that “throughout this process, as the material The Sunday Times has obtained demonstrates, Johnson followed advice and took the necessary steps to ensure probity. All declarations were made properly.”
The newspaper, which cited a leaked Cabinet Office memo, said advice was issued by Case after Johnson and Sharp sought out advice on accepting the £800,000 loan from Blyth.
It is reported the former prime minister secured the loan in February 2021.
The paper quotes advice issued by Case, which stated: “Given the imminent announcement of Richard Sharp as the new BBC chair, it is important you no longer ask his advice about your personal financial matters.”
Public appointments commissioner William Shawcross has already said he plans to investigate Sharp’s appointment as BBC chair, following the first set of reports last week.
Sharp told BBC News last week he was “uncomfortable” with the way the process had been carried out.
He also said that “having had a discussion with the Cabinet Secretary about avoiding conflict, and the perception of conflict, I felt comfortable and I still feel there was no conflict because at that stage what I was seeking to do was ensure that the process was followed exactly by the book.
"And that the process hadn’t started, of any kind, in terms of any support that Sam (Blyth) was going to provide to the prime minister.
“I had clarified and agreed with the Cabinet Secretary, both of us had the judgment that I’d avoided a conflict or a perception of conflict.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We do not comment on leaks.”
Following the revelations, the SNP have reiterated calls for Rishi Sunak to remove the whip from Johnson.
Last week, Stephen Flynn wrote to Rishi Sunak urging him to “deep clean” his government amid scandals surrounding both the former prime minister and Nadhim Zahawi, who has now been sacked.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman said: “These latest revelations are devastating for Boris Johnson and shows how he has lied through his teeth about his relationship with the BBC’s chairman. Rishi Sunak should remove the whip from Boris Johnson immediately.
“His appointment of Richard Sharp as BBC chair absolutely reeks of cronyism and corruption and a full investigation must be carried out into the appointment of Boris Johnson.
“Lying and Boris Johnson go hand-in-hand and Rishi Sunak must show real leadership and kick him out of the Tory party for not only misleading him, but also the country.
“The UK Government is riddled with corruption and sleaze at every level and the only way Scotland can escape is with independence.”
