BBC chairman Richard Sharpe under attack ‘helped friend get advisory role’

low pressure BBC chairman Richard Sharp A close friend of his reportedly helped get a paid role advising the company on editorial standards.

Sharp has appointed Caroline Daniel, public relations officer and former editor of FT Weekend. Martin Bashir According to the scandal Sunday Times.

he is ex-emmerdale She dated actor Christopher Villiers in 2019 and is in a close relationship with him, the paper reports.

Mr. SharpHe is under pressure to resign over the circumstances surrounding his appointment.

According to the paper, the appointment made others feel she was “shoehorn” in the position.

The 67-year-old former Goldman Sachs banker last June rubber-stamped her choice for a second position as the company’s external editorial adviser without publicly declaring a personal relationship. It is said that

It is said that he did not withdraw from the discussion of the appointment on the BBC nominating committee chaired by him, nor did he mention friendship in declarations of personal interest.

The newspaper reported that Daniel said the relationship was “fully disclosed to the relevant BBC executives at the time”. Executive Director Tim Davey.

“The relationship with Richard Sharpe was fully disclosed to relevant BBC officials at the time, in line with the BBC’s request,” she was quoted as saying.

Daniel, 51, was appointed to help review editorial standards in 1995 after a terrible report on Bashir’s panoramic interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.

Non-executive directors Sir Robbie Gibb and Ian Hargreaves were among other members who supported the review, which was led by the BBC’s Senior Independent Director, Sir Nicholas Serota.

A source close to Serota’s review told the paper: But having her perspective was helpful. ”

As a result of the review, the BBC has established two positions of ‘Editorial Advisor’ for external experts to provide guidance on journalism standards.

The report will put more pressure on Mr Sharp, who is embroiled in a nepotism dispute over supporting the former prime minister. boris johnson We have secured a £800,000 line of credit in recent months.

An inquiry has been launched into the circumstances surrounding his already controversial appointment after he previously donated to the Conservative Party.

He faced renewed scrutiny as his position was called into question amid backlash over the BBC’s decision to use a sports presenter. Gary Lineker Off-air for tweeting a comparison of the words used to initiate asylum seeker policy in 1930s Germany and the new government.

Members of parliament have already criticized him for his actions “violating the standards expected of individuals” in applying for appointment to prominent civil servants, and last month’s cross-party report called him a “serious error of judgment.” was found to have committed

Only the government, not the BBC, can remove the chairman. Rishi Snack has repeatedly declined to defend Sharpe, citing ongoing investigations.

labor leader kia starmer challenged Sunak over his relationship with the BBC chairman at this week’s PMQ. He claimed that Mr Sharpe was “not just an old Tory donor” and that “he is very close to the Prime Minister, who is called his mentor”.

Mr Sunak, who appeared to distance himself from the chairman, said Mr Sharp was appointed “before I became prime minister”. He added: “Instead of prejudging and preempting that review, we should let it go and wait for the results.”

The BBC said it was “completely satisfied” that its process had been fully complied with.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Following the completion of the Serota Review on editorial processes, governance and culture in October 2021, in line with the review’s recommendations, the BBC will appoint two independent external editorial experts. , Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee of the BBC Council.

They added: ‘These roles are formally advertised externally and are open to anyone to apply. Approved by

“This process articulates the expectations of independence required for the role and includes full disclosure of any relevant conflicts of interest. Fully satisfied that all processes and procedures were fully followed doing.”

We reached out to Sharp for comment.