British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he has"no doubt" BBC chairman Richard Sharp was appointed on"merit".
Making an appearance on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Cleverly said Mr Sharp was appointed on"merit" and that"there is nothing wrong" with someone who is politically active then being appointed to the BBC. "But I have absolutely no doubt he was appointed on merit, and the point that I would just remind people of is, it is not unusual, and indeed there is nothing wrong, for someone to be politically active prior to their appointment to senior BBC positions.
Mr Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, was announced as the British government's choice for the BBC role in January 2021. "I suggest you ask Simon Case, who seems to be the linchpin in both these stories, to come on and say what happened." "At the very least, that should all have been declared and brought into the open. There's nothing in Boris Johnson's declaration of interest as an MP about this. It's been brought into the open by journalism, not by people being transparent, and that's why I do think this does need to be looked at."