Starmer says BBC chair would be appointed independently under Labour

Starmer told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that an independent process was needed, to protect the appointment from ‘sleaze’ and ‘contamination’. Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Keir Starmer has said Labour would make sure the BBC chair is independently appointed after Richard Sharp’s resignation following his failure to declare that he had helped Boris Johnson get a loan.

The Labour leader suggested the party would reform the system, in which the prime minister currently has the final say on who gets the job.