Richard Sharp: Johnson was told to stop asking for loan advice - report

The leaked memo, reported by the Sunday Times, was sent weeks before Mr Sharp was appointed to the corporation.

Mr Sharp has said he simply connected a friend who wanted to guarantee a loan for Mr Johnson with the head of the Civil Service.

He insists he was appointed on merit.

Mr Sharp's appointment is under review following successive reports in the Sunday Times that he helped Mr Johnson secure a loan before getting his job.

Both Mr Sharp and Mr Johnson have said separately that Mr Sharp was not involved in arranging a loan for the then-prime minister, and say that neither man acted with any conflict of interest.

In the wake of the Sunday Times's fresh report, a spokesman for Mr Johnson insisted to the BBC that he had never received or sought financial advice from Mr Sharp.

The new leaked memo allegedly says: "Given the imminent announcement of Richard Sharp as the new BBC chair, it is important that you no longer ask his advice about your personal financial matters."

Last week Mr Sharp said that he had not given advice to the former prime minister.

BBC News has been told Mr Sharp's position remains unchanged.

However, his appointment is to be investigated by the public appointments commissioner as well as an internal panel. He has also been asked to appear before the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's select committee to be grilled by MPs.

The Conservative government has also faced attacks from opposition parties over the appointment of Mr Sharp, whose role as BBC chairman is to uphold the broadcaster's independence.

Mr Sharp has previously acknowledged that he had contacted Cabinet Secretary Simon Case - the most senior civil servant - in late 2020 to discuss an offer of financial assistance for Mr Johnson.

That offer came from his wealthy Canadian friend Sam Blyth - also a distant cousin of Mr Johnson.

Mr Sharp, who worked as a government adviser at the time, has said he "simply connected people", and that his involvement in the loan facility ended at this point.

According to the Sunday Times, the memo warning to Mr Johnson, said to be from Mr Case, was sent on 22 December 2020 - about two weeks before his government announced Mr Sharp's appointment as the new BBC chairman.

Mr Johnson is said to have secured his loan for £800,000 the following month.

He was reportedly told he could take out the loan - without declaring it - as long as his guarantor Mr Blyth had no "business or personal interests in the UK" beyond his family ties.

But Mr Blyth was on a government list of recommended candidates for the British Council, without senior figures in the public body realising his relation to Mr Johnson, the Sunday Times reported.

Mr Blyth told the paper that his name was suggested by others, that he never formally decided to apply, and that he ultimately ruled himself out of the running.

Mr Johnson's spokesman told the BBC that he and his team had been unaware that Sam Blyth was being considered for a role at the British Council.

After the first questions were raised about his appointment, Mr Sharp stressed that he had been "comfortable" with the way the process had been carried out.

He said his discussion with Mr Case had been about avoiding conflicts of interest, and to ensure the correct process was followed "exactly by the book".

But, in an email sent to BBC staff, he apologised and said the row had become a "distraction".

A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office declined to comment on the leaked memo cited by the Sunday Times, of which the BBC has not seen a copy.

-bbc