BBC chief quits amid furor over role in Boris Johnson loan

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The chairman of the BBC has resigned after a report found he failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest over his role in arranging a loan more than two years ago for Boris Johnson. The publicly funded national broadcaster has been under pressure after it was revealed that Richard Sharp helped arrange a loan for the then-prime minister. Sharp was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation weeks after he arranged the line of credit backed by a wealthy Canadian businessman. Sharp said Friday he was quitting to “prioritize the interests of the BBC” after making an “inadvertent” breach of the rules. Opposition politicians accused the Conservative government of undermining the BBC’s impartiality.