Last week, The Sunday Times reported that Sharp, who was recommended for the top BBC job by Johnson in 2020, had helped the former UK leader arrange a guarantor on a loan of some 800,000 pounds ($990,000), which sparked calls for investigating a possible conflict of interests in Sharp's appointment process.
According to reports, Sharp instructed the BBC board to review a potential conflict of interests during his appointment, though he denied his involvement in arranging any kind of financial help for Johnson.
"I was not involved in making a loan, or arranging a guarantee, and I did not arrange any financing... We have many challenges at the BBC, and I know that distractions such as this are not welcomed," Sharp said in an internal email, as quoted by the newspaper.
On Sunday, the Labour party wrote a letter to Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross, calling for an investigation into Sharp's appointment.
According to The Sunday Times, Sharp helped the former prime minister receive a loan in late 2020 when the latter was facing financial problems due to a child support he had to provide to his ex-wife. The current BBC chairman arranged a meeting between Johnson and multimillionaire Canadian businessman Sam Blyth, with the latter proposing to act as Johnson's guarantor for a loan, the newspaper noted. A few weeks later, Sharp was announced as the government's choice for the top job at the BBC.