@[email protected]Jan 21, 2023

6 Toot 🧵 ‼️
1/ Sunday Times: SCOOP by Harry Yorke and Gabriel Pogrun

The BBC chairman, the prime minister and the ÂŁ800,000 loan guarantee

Bloody hell. So the BBC in the form of its chairman, Sharp, has been sitting on this story FOR YEARS @Ofcom

Impartiality⁉️ Not even lip service.

The BBC chairman - Sharp- , a Tory donor, helped to arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to ÂŁ800,000 for Boris Johnson weeks before the then prime minister recommended him for the role.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-bbc-chairman-the-prime-minister-and-the-800-000-loan-guarantee-f7nt5kfml

The BBC chairman, the prime minister and the ÂŁ800,000 loan guarantee

The BBC chairman helped to arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to ÂŁ800,000 for Boris Johnson weeks before the then prime minister recommended him for the role

The Sunday Times
Show thread@[email protected]Jan 21, 2023

2/

Richard Sharp was involved in talks about financing Johnson’s Downing Street lifestyle in November and December 2020.

“Sharp, 66, a former banker at Goldman Sachs, had already submitted his application to become chairman of the public service broadcaster & had reached the final stages of the recruitment process.”

“The BBC chairman helped to arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000 for Boris Johnson weeks before the then prime minister recommended him for the role”

FFS.

Show thread@[email protected]

3/ It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that a PM that needs a £800k credit line is a security risk

And an ethics risk.

Stunned to discover that the CABINET OFFICE and SIMON CAVE knew about this.

How the f*** did Sharp get appointed?

Have they all lost their minds?

I’m trying to get my head around this.

The BBC is PACKED with people who are supposed to be journalists.

Jan 21, 2023 at 8:03pmWeb
Show thread@[email protected]Jan 21, 2023

4/ Did they have enough journalistic nous to find out this story but were forbidden from publishing it because it would embarrass both the Chairman and the Government @Ofcom ?

In which case how is that remotely in keeping with its duty of impartiality in its Charter @Ofcom ?

Or did this organisation packed full of journalists paid for out of the public purse not know about this story⁉️

It just passed them by to be scooped by the Sunday Times⁉️

Show thread@[email protected]Jan 21, 2023

5/.
I’m guessing the former.

Which is really very very shocking.

And shameful.

Making a monkey out of BBC journalists along the way.

Remember Sunak was managed by Sharp at Goldman Sachs. What did he know?

The BBC has a long history of appointing politically connected people. However, there is no known precedent of a prime minister selecting an individual who was simultaneously helping them with their personal finances.

Show thread@[email protected]Jan 21, 2023

6/ I missed this:

“BBC job application says: "You cannot be considered for a public appointment if you fail to declare any conflict of interest"

Candidates must disclose anything which could later undermine confidence in appointment

Sharp didn't tell panel. MPs on pre-hearing did not know ”

So who were the MPs and other people on the panel ?

What did the know or suspect?

Show threadCarolineCherryJan 22, 2023
@Fascinatorfun Is this grounds for judicial review ?
Show threadiamBullivantJan 21, 2023
@Fascinatorfun Rancid corruption. It's like a cheap farce.
Show threadRob RandtoulJan 21, 2023
@Fascinatorfun what’s most shocking is that we’re no longer shocked.
Show threadSimon BrookeJan 21, 2023
@Fascinatorfun More to the point, why have both Sharp and Johnson not been arrested and charged with corruption? How is Sharp still serving in a role obtained through corruption?
Show threadLassielmrJan 21, 2023
@simon_brooke @Fascinatorfun it’s unethical.
Show threadProScience 🇪🇺Jan 21, 2023

@Fascinatorfun

She might not be a former banker but people consider Brexit and Tory propagandists like Laura Kuenssberg a "journalist".

Show threadMostlyTatoJan 21, 2023
@proscience @Fascinatorfun
Probably the same people who regard BBC News as unbiased news.
Show threadCarolineCherryJan 22, 2023
@Fascinatorfun The really depressing thing was I heard a certain LBC producer that had promoted Brexit stating that it was wrong to examine private invidious tax affairs. My concern has always been payments / arrangements went to a considerable number of people ncluding journalists. Let’s think about the courtier journalists who publicly declared their support for Brexit at key stages.