Cronyism fears as businessman Sir Ian Cheshire is named head of Channel 4

theguardian.com:

Ministers have been accused of another case of cronyism over the appointment of the new Channel 4 chair. Veteran businessman Sir Ian Cheshire has been chosen to oversee the broadcaster, which has been beset with rumours that it faces privatisation.

Cheshire, former chief executive of Kingfisher, the B&Q owner, served on a business taskforce for former prime minister David Cameron. He also oversaw the selection process under which Tory donor Ben Goldsmith was appointed to the board of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He is chairman of Goldsmith’s investment firm.

Cheshire’s appointment was greeted with surprise and concern from leading broadcasting figures. Two acclaimed former Channel 4 names, news anchor Jon Snow and Dorothy Byrne, the former head of news and current affairs, were among those to call on the new chair to protect the public-service remit of the 40-year-old commercial channel.

“We have to hope Sir Ian puts the public good first and is not just an arm of the Conservative government,” said Byrne. “In a world where there is a lot of money for costume dramas, we should not forget that wider broadcasting is vital for democracy.”

Cheshire, 62, is a recent business adviser to Whitehall and has previously backed key Conservative policies. Until January 2020 he was the chair of Barclays UK. He is credited with turning around Kingfisher plc, where he was chief executive until 2015, after a radical restructuring.

Channel 4 is owned by the public but funded by advertising. Its privatisation has long been in the sights of prominent members of the Conservative party. The appointment this weekend has prompted fresh fears that the state ownership of the commercial channel remains under threat.

Lucy