Gary Lineker says government should not appoint BBC chair

The suspension of Gary Lineker in March increased the pressure on Richard Sharp to resign as BBC chair. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Gary Lineker has said the government should never be involved in appointing the chair of the BBC, after the resignation of the incumbent, Richard Sharp.

Sharp announced on Friday he was stepping down after accepting the findings of an independent investigation that said he had breached the rules for public appointments. It said he had failed to declare his role in helping to secure an £800,000 loan to the then prime minister, Boris Johnson.