BBC chair helped Johnson secure £800,000 loan

Labour is calling for an investigation after claims that the BBC chairman helped Boris Johnson arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000 weeks before he was recommended for the job by the then-prime minister.

- HOLLY BANCROFT SOPHIE WINGATE

The party has written to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, following a report in The Sunday Times that Tory donor Richard Sharp was involved in talks about helping Mr Johnson when he found himself in financial difficulty.

BBC chairman Richard Sharp reportedly got involved in late 2020, after a dinner at the home of an old friend, Sam Blyth, in London.

Mr Sharp, 66, had at the time submitted an application to become chairman of the BBC and was in the final stages of the recruitment process, according to a report in The Sunday Times.

Mr Blyth, a multimillionaire businessman and cousin of Mr Johnson, allegedly raised the idea of helping the prime minister with his finances by acting as a guarantor on a loan.

Mr Blyth reportedly asked Mr Sharp for advice on the best way forward.

According to the paper, Mr Sharp agreed to help and went to Downing Street to discuss the matter with then-cabinet secretary Simon Case in December 2020. He also introduced Mr Case to Mr Blyth and spoke to Mr Johnson, the paper reported.