Off the record

From the transcript of the Culture Select Committee interview with BBC Chair Richard Sharp, discussing Mr Sharp's meeting with Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in Downing Street

Chair: There were not minutes taken at that meeting. Does that mean it was just you and him in the room?

Richard Sharp: I think he took notes. He told me he took some notes. For example, he noted, and he reminded me, that I had raised with him specifically and proactively the fact that I was being considered for the BBC chairmanship. I raised that with him at that meeting......

[Later] John Nicolson: Okay. So although you discussed the loan with Mr Blyth, Boris Johnson’s cousin, in September 2020, you did not actually go to see the Cabinet Secretary until December—so quite a long time afterwards. At that discussion with the Cabinet Secretary, did anyone else attend? Were any minutes taken?

Richard Sharp: This comes back to answering one of your earlier questions. At that meeting, I raised with the Cabinet Secretary that I was in the application process for the BBC chairmanship, and therefore at that

time we discussed precisely that to avoid a conflict or the appearance of conflict, I should have nothing further to do with it. At that meeting, there were two people: I was there, and Mr Case was there.

John Nicolson: So nobody was taking notes.

Richard Sharp: Mr Case, I believe, was taking notes

But this, from Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund suggests either that Mr Sharp's memory of note-taking is wrong, or the Cabinet Secretary misunderstands Freedom of Information legislation.

 

NEW: There are no minutes of Richard Sharp's meeting with Simon Case in Dec 2020, says Cabinet Office

Soon after PM appointed BBC chair- and got loan of up to £800k

So no record of key summit which Sharp says avoided potential conflict of interest- and which MPs say created one https://t.co/g8jbwBcVIV pic.twitter.com/wgA6SXYjfX

— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) February 21, 2023