Richard Sharp, Chairman of the BBC, has admitted that he had dinner with Boris Johnson and Sam Blythe, who went on to underwrite a £800,000 loan to Mr Johnson. A BBC spokesman says it is unfair that the press are accusing him of facilitating a deal for the then Prime Minister, when all he did was have some dinner and introduced a very rich man to a man who needed some cash, pronto. 'The fact that Mr Sharp was then appointed as BBC chair shortly after, at the recomendation of Mr Johnson, is purely co-incidental,' the spokesman added.
He added that if the BBC hadn't dropped the Money Programme in 2010 then he wouldn't have needed to meet up with rich people to secure a loan. The spokesman said that while there are some websites that provide independent advice, and Martin Lewis seems to know a thing or two, Mr Johnson wouldn't have needed the help from the man who subsequently became Chair of the BBC.
The BBC maintain the relationship between Mr Sharp, Mr Johnson and Mr Blyth around the time of Mr Sharp's appointment is 'not causal', despite the rumour that Valerie Singleton was being lined up for the job until the then Prime Minister learned her programme had finished.