Richard Sharp, the former banker and prominent Tory donor, has been appointed as the new chairman of the BBC. While his political connections and Brexit support raise eyebrows, staff at the corporation may find solace in the fact that the alternative could have been Charles Moore, the former Telegraph editor and licence-fee refusenik.
Sharp, a member of the Conservative thinktank Centre for Policy Studies, is regarded as a shrewd operator. His main advantages include good political ties and a genuine appreciation for the arts. He is a close ally of Chancellor Rishi Sunak, having worked under him at Goldman Sachs, and served as an unpaid adviser to the Treasury during the pandemic.
Sharp's appointment may signal a 'Sunakification' of the British establishment, with fewer antagonistic licence fee negotiations than under Dominic Cummings. A media insider noted, 'He is a long way from the Cummings lot’s hatred of the BBC.' A former colleague described him as arrogant but charming when needed.
Sharp has been involved with the Royal Academy of Arts since 2004 and chaired it from 2007 to 2012. He is known as a brilliant negotiator and is expected to focus on the bottom line. However, tensions remain over the BBC's coverage of Brexit, which some ministers found too funereal.
