BBC chair 'introduction agency' for Johnson loan

The chair of the BBC conceded he acted as a sort of introduction agency” over an 800,000 loan to Boris Johnson but declined to say if he would resign if criticised by an official inquiry.

- KATE DEVLIN

Mr Sharp denied he had facilitated the loan for the then-prime minister, who later backed his appointment to lead the broadcaster.

He admitted he went to see Mr Johnson to discuss the job before he applied, although he insisted their relationship was "broadly professional".

In an at-times brutal grilling by MPs on the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee, Mr Sharp insisted that he "didn't arrange the loan".

He did admit, however, that introduced his friend Sam Blyth to the cabinet secretary Simon Case after Mr Blyth suggested he could ease the prime minister's money woes.

Mr Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, also said he regretted causing "embarrassment for the BBC".

But he declined to say he would resign if a probe into the affair was critical of his actions.