A Perth and Kinross MP has accused the UK Government’s choice as the new chair of the BBC as being “a little bit cosy.”
Former banker Richard Sharp has been appointed as the new chair of the BBC board following a grilling from a Commons select committee.
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But Ochil and South Perthshire MP John Nicolson - who sits on the committee - questioned how “appropriate” it was to appoint someone who has donated over £400,000 to the Conservative Party.
Mr Sharp appeared before the digital, culture, media and sport select committee for pre-appointment scrutiny on January 14.
He was previously the boss of Rishi Sunak when the chancellor worked at Goldman Sachs.
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Mr Nicholson said: “You’re friends with Boris Johnson we’ve established - you were an adviser when he was the London mayor.
“You’re friends with Rishi Sunak and the job that you want is going to be given to you by the Tory cabinet minister.
“I mean, you’ve many fine qualities I’m sure but doesn’t it all strike you as a little bit cosy?”
Mr Sharp responded by saying it was not the first time he had applied for a board position at the BBC. He said the Conservatives were in administration the last time and he failed to get the position.
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He told Mr Nicholson he had gone through a rigorous process to get selected as the preferred candidate.
Mr Sharp said: “Certainly going through it I felt like I was put through my paces and would imagine the other candidates felt that too.”
But Mr Nicholson pressed Mr Sharp to say whether he thought it was “appropriate” for him to take the position as “a massive Tory donor getting a job from a Tory cabinet minister when you’re friends with two members of the cabinet”.
Mr Sharp said: “First of all I think that’s an entirely legitimate question to ask then the answer is really on my merits.
"Am I an appropriate candidate? Will I be able to do a good job?
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“That’s for you to judge and for the panel to judge.”
When Mr Nicholson quizzed Mr Sharp about giving £400,000 to the Conservatives, Mr Sharp said he had given “substantially more” to charity.
He added: “In fact the amount I have given to charity dwarves the amount I have given in political donations if that’s the question you’re asking.”
Mr Nicholson questioned how the BBC director general and BBC chair could both be Conservative supporters.
Mr Sharp said Gavyn Davies and Greg Dyke - Labour supporters - were chair and director general of the BBC at the same time under Tony Blair.
But Mr Nicholson said that was “not a defence of this cosiness”.
Following the meeting, Mr Nicholson told the PA: “[Mr Sharp] is friends with Boris Johnson and the chancellor.
“He’s donated £400,000 to the Conservative Party. And now he’s being appointed by a Tory minister. It hardly seems appropriate.”
He added: “Whilst the new BBC chair was donating £400,000 to the Conservative Party, the party was getting ready to remove free TV licences from the over-75s.”
