Bring in watchdogs over Johnson £800k loan & BBC boss link

BORIS Johnson must face a probe over claims Richard Sharp helped him get a loan guarantee before the then-PM recommended him for the job of BBC boss, Labour demanded.

- LIZZY BUCHAN

Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds has written to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg amid claims of cronyism.

Former Tory donor Sharp admitted introducing millionaire Sam Blyth, a distant cousin of Johnson's, to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.

It is reported that Canadian Blyth agreed to act as a guarantor to up to £800,000 of credit to fund the ex-party leader's "day-to-day expenses" when he got into financial trouble in 2020.

Johnson, Sharp and Blyth had dinner at Chequers before the loan was finalised, though they deny discussing the MP's finances.

Former Goldman Sachs banker Sharp had reportedly already applied for the role of BBC chairman at the time.

He was appointed in January 2021. As the loan story gathered pace yesterday, Uxbridge MP Johnson was again visiting Ukraine president Volodymr Zelensky in Kyiv.