A timeline of perceived chumocracy

"Mr Sharp informed the former Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson MP) that he wished to apply to be Chair of the BBC Board, before he made his application in November 2020."

Richard Sharp still argues there's nowt wrong with that, and he did not need to disclose it to the DCMS Interview Panel. Adam Heppinstall KC says non-disclosure amounts to a conflict of interest - "A pre-application conversation about an application to an office, with the person who will make the final decision to recommend someone to that office, in circumstances in which that office fundamentally requires independence from that person, should be disclosed".

"Mr Sharp also informed the former Prime Minister, before he was interviewed, that he was going to meet the Cabinet Secretary so as to attempt to introduce to him a person who had made a suggestion that he might assist the former Prime Minister with his personal finances."

Richard Sharp accepts, with the benefit of hindsight, he should have disclosed that to the interview panel, but his non-disclosure was 'inadvertent' and 'not material'. Nonetheless he has resigned because he was becoming 'a distraction'.  He gets to stay until June; he missed out on yesterday's Royal day at Eurovision in Liverpool, and he'll miss out on Wimbledon,

That timeline: 

The Financial News reported on 22 October 2020 that the Daily Telegraph (which newspaper online is behind a paywall and therefore cannot be transparently referenced in this Report) had said that Mr Sharp had applied for the post and that he was “tipped as a frontrunner for the role of BBC Chair”. The day before the Daily Telegraph had reported that Mr Sharp was “understood to be applying” for the role, that Mr Sharp declined to comment but that “a source” confirmed that “he was likely to apply for the job”.

The application deadline was 11 November 2020. On 16 November 2020 the “long- list” of candidates was provided to the Secretary of State and No.10. The Secretary of State authorised the process to move to the “sift-stage”. No.10 also did so and noted its support for Mr Sharp’s candidacy on 19 November.

No.10 commented to DCMS, on 26 November 2020, that Mr Sharp looked like a strong candidate.

Mr Sharp was interviewed at 11.15am on 11 December 2020. He was the final candidate interviewed. The Panel Chair said, when interviewed for this Inquiry, that No.10’s support for Richard Sharp was made known to the Panel as required by the Governance Code and that he was the only candidate identified to the Panel as having his candidacy supported by Ministers.

On 16 December 2020, the Secretary of State informed his officials that he would like to appoint Mr Sharp and the former Prime Minister indicated agreement on 23 December 2020.