Sleaziness exposed at the highest level of British establishment

Ishtiaq Ahmed
London: Richard Sharps, the Chairman of BBC resigns for breaching the British government’s code for making public appointments.
Richard Sharp accused of helping Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, to obtain a loan of £800,000 while he was being considered for his role as the chairman of BBC. He resigns after a an enquiry report into the allegations found him breaching the British code for the public appointments by failing to disclose conflict of interest on two accounts.
Firstly, Richard Sharp that his appointment was partially a favour bestowed up him for helping Boris to a loan of £800, 000 ; and, secondly, for failing to report that he was helping to introduce Cabinet Secretary Simon case to a Canadian millionaire who wanted to help him with his finances.
Readers must note that the appointment of BBC Chairman is ultimately decided by the prime minister. Sharp was appointed in February 2021
The outcome of the enquiry and the subsequent resignation of Richard Sharp brings to fore the “good“ and the “ bad “ aspects of British establishment. Good in the sense that the public appointment system has a threshold beyond which ‘sleaziness’ is not tolerated, even for the high ranking officials, including the prime minister is not beyond scrutiny and accountability.
The “bad “ aspect is the depth of the “ sleaziness’ culture, even within the public institutions of the world’s oldest democracies that place a high premium on transparency, integrity, and accountability.
The affair has brought into question the independence and integrity of BBC. Calls are being made for the change of the system for the appointment of the chairman of BBC.