Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Conclusion 30
Eighth Report - Appointment of Richard Sharp as Chair of the BBC
Published 12 Feb 2023
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Appointment of Richard Sharp as Chair of the BBC All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
In deciding not to recuse himself from involvement in Sam Blyth’s loan to the then Prime Minister nor to reveal his involvement to either this Committee or the appointments panel, Mr Sharp decided to leave our Committee without the full facts we required to make an informed judgement on his suitability as a candidate. There can be no question that Mr Sharp’s decision not to divulge his involvement in the loan guarantee denied this Committee the opportunity to fulfil its scrutiny role when he appeared before it.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Eighth Report - Appointment of Richard Sharp as Chair of the BBC (HC 1147), 12 February 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 29 June 2023 (deadline 12 April 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government "notes" the Committee's conclusions on Mr Sharp's appointment and says it will respond further "in due course" to the recommendations in Mr Heppinstall KC's report.
- The government says Mr Heppinstall KC's report outlines that Mr Sharp "failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest" to the interview Panel, and that Mr Sharp has resigned as Chair.
- It is "currently considering" the report's recommendations, which include proposals on the public appointments process in general, and "will respond further in due course".
- An Acting Chair has been appointed in line with the BBC Royal Charter, and "planning for a process to appoint a permanent new Chair is also underway".
- On advice given to Boris Johnson, the government refers to the report's findings that it was "neither commissioned nor obtained until after the appointment process was almost over".