BBC board members will have to declare when they have social drinks or attend dinners with cabinet ministers, following the resignation of Richard Sharp as chairman of the broadcaster.
Sharp announced his intention to leave the BBC last month after an external investigation concluded he should have declared his connection to a secret £800,000 loan to Boris Johnson.
The BBC’s board has now concluded that in future “meetings between board members and senior political figures, including social events”, should be recorded.
Given that the BBC’s board members include some of the country’s most well-connected businessmen and civil servants, this creates the potential for an extensive record of meetings between the people who ultimately control the national broadcaster and the people who run it. the government.
However, a BBC spokesperson confirmed that this list would be kept for internal use and would not be viewable by the public. Relevant meetings between board members and senior politicians will only be published in the published board minutes when deemed appropriate.
As well as recommending an internal disclosure register, an internal review into Sharp by other BBC board members concluded that “personal and political” relationships which could create a perceived conflict of interest must be declared just like professional and financial relationships today. disclosed
Board members concluded that Sharp broke internal BBC rules by failing to declare a link to Johnson’s loan when he applied for the role of BBC chairman. However, they said that once Sharp was cast in the role, he played by the rules.
The BBC is fighting accusations that it has leaned too close to the Conservative government and allowed Downing Street to abuse the issue of impartiality. The Guardian has released internal documents showing how its coverage of political news was altered following No 10’s interventions, while Labor has warned the station it is concerned about editorial independence.
Members of the BBC’s board include staff such as director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turnes. They also include government-appointed non-executive directors such as Robbie Gibb, a former communications chief in Theresa May’s Conservative government.
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Sharp will officially step down as chairman of the BBC at the end of June, at which point he will be replaced on a temporary basis by one of the BBC’s non-executive directors. Rishi Sunak’s government will then begin the formal process of recruiting a new BBC chairman who will serve a full four-year term, meaning a potential Labor government could have to deal with a Tory appointee until 2027.
