The BBC's chairman resigned on Friday after a probe concluded that he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest related to his participation in negotiating a 2021 loan for Boris Johnson, the United Kingdom's prime minister at the time. After it was revealed that Richard Sharp helped arrange the line of credit weeks before being appointed to the BBC post on the government's recommendation, the publicly funded national broadcaster has been under political pressure, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported.
The line of credit was provided by rich Canadian businessman Sam Blyth, who was introduced to Johnson by Sharp, a Conservative Party contributor. Johnson was both the party's leader and the British Prime Minister.
Sharp stated that he was resigning to "prioritise the interests of the BBC" following a "inadvertent" violation of the guidelines.
“I feel that this matter may well be a distraction from the corporation’s good work were I to remain in post until the end of my term,” he was quoted by AP in its report.
Sharp stated that he will continue in his BBC position until the end of June until a replacement is sought.
According to a report on the event issued on Friday by senior lawyer Adam Heppinstall, Sharp "failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest."
The probe is the latest thorny incident for the BBC, which is supported by a licence fee paid by all television households and has an obligation to be unbiased in its news coverage.
The public broadcaster is regularly used as a political pawn, with some Conservative government members finding a leftist lean in its news output and other liberals accusing it of a conservative bias.
When former England soccer star Gary Lineker criticised the government's immigration policies on social media in March, the BBC was engaged in a scandal about free speech and political bias.
Lineker was suspended – and then reinstated – when other sports broadcasters, experts, and Premier League players joined him in boycotting the BBC.
(With Inputs From AP)