Sunak under pressure to stop choosing Tories for BBC jobs after Sharp row

theguardian.com:

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to stop appointing Conservatives to key positions at the BBC after Richard Sharp’s resignation prompted criticism the party had undermined the broadcaster by flooding it with cronies.

Sharp quit as BBC chair on Friday morning after an investigation concluded he had failed to disclose key information about his relationship with the former prime minister Boris Johnson when applying for the job in 2021. Sharp helped facilitate an £800,000 loan guarantee for Johnson when he was in the running to take over the broadcaster but did not tell the appointments panel.

His resignation plunges the BBC into another period of uncertainty and mires the Tories in a further row over the behaviour of some its most senior members and appointees. It follows the recent resignation of Dominic Raab as deputy prime minister over bullying allegations and the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as party chair over his tax affairs.

But it also gives Sunak an unexpected opportunity to put his stamp on the broadcaster by appointing a new chair for a four-year term.

Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary, said Sharp had caused “untold damage to the reputation of the BBC and seriously undermined its independence as a result of the Conservatives’ sleaze and cronyism”. She called on Sunak to run a “truly independent and robust” recruitment process for Sharp’s replacement, saying that only this could “restore the esteem of the BBC after his government has tarnished it so much”.

Ed Vaizey, the Conservative peer and former culture minister, said the prime minister should make sure the next appointments process was “beyond reproach”.

Peter Riddell, who was public appointments commissioner when Sharp was given the job, said Johnson had been