Johnson denies conflict of interest in appointment of BBC chairman

Boris Johnson made a surprise appearance in Ukraine on Sunday as he denied any conflict of interest over his role in appointing a new BBC chairman while in No 10.

Labour has asked the watchdog for public appointments to examine the recruitment process after it was reported Richard Sharp helped Johnson with his personal finances during the interview process for the role at the corporation.

The Sunday Times said Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, was involved in helping to sort out a guarantee on a loan worth up to 800,000 for Johnson in late 2020.

While the loan guarantee was itself given by Sam Blyth, a Canadian businessman and distant cousin of Johnson, the report said Sharp had helped with the arrangement, including having a conversation with Simon Case, the cabinet secretary.

While Sharp has not commented, a spokesman for Johnson rejected any wrongdoing. Johnson was visiting Ukraine on Sunday, holding talks in Kyiv with the countrys president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who Johnson said had invited him. He also visited the towns of Borodianka and Bucha.