Richard Sharp was an 'unsuitable candidate', former BBC director general John Birt tells MPs.
By Ian YoungsAn ex-BBC director general has said he does not think chairman Richard Sharp's "appointment should stand" because he was an "unsuitable candidate" and the process was "fatally flawed".
"He's a person of obvious weight and consequence, but in one vital respect he was an unsuitable candidate, and the appointment process itself was fatally flawed." "It's the cosiness of that arrangement that made it unsuitable, and I wish the cabinet secretary had called it out."Mr Sharp has said he met the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, in December 2020 to tell him Mr Blyth wanted to get in contact to offer financial help to the PM.
"When Richard Sharp approached him about the financial arrangement, he [Mr Case] should have advised both Richard Sharp and the prime minister that the cosiness of these arrangements, already at that point discussed with the prime minister, disqualified Richard Sharp as a candidate for the BBC chairmanship.
Lord Birt said it would be premature to call for Mr Sharp to resign before the outcome of a KC-led review into his appointment. The BBC is also conducting its own internal review over any potential conflicts of interest Mr Sharp may have in his role.Chris Patten, a former Conservative Party chairman and former chair of the BBC Trust, said Mr Sharp was in a "difficult" position.
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