Chairman must go if BBC is to avoid bias fears
Trust in the BBC is being eroded with every second that its chair Richard Sharp remains in post, say the Scottish Greens.
Sharp donated £400k to the Tory party and is subject of an investigation after helping former Prime Minister Boris Johnson secure a £800k loan.
His links to the Conservative party are now also fuelling concerns over how politics in Scotland might be impacted.
Mark Ruskell MSP, the Scottish Greens culture spokesperson, said:
“Richard Sharp must go and go now. Every second he remains trust in the BBC’s ability to carry out its functions free from UK Government influence is eroded.
“Over the weekend the BBC’s sports coverage has been left in tatters, its reputation trashed and that threatens to taint even its news operations having to cover the scandal as people question just who is calling the shots.
“In the space of a few days Gary Lineker has been targeted for speaking out on behalf of refugees, Sir David Attenborough has been muzzled on air after speaking up on climate crisis and the environment, all of which are core green policies.
“That is deeply concerning to us especially given the seismic changes in Scottish politics happening right now with the pending election of a new First Minister at Holyrood and the Tory hostility and misinformation towards gender reform and the Deposit Return Scheme.
“The BBC has a duty to ensure not just impartiality but command complete trust from the public. It must be beyond reproach.
“That is impossible while he remains in post bathed in a hue of Tory hypocrisy.
“Instead the corporation is eating itself, all of which makes it easier for Ministers to threaten its very future at a time when right leaning broadcasters are queuing up.
“If the BBC is to retain any shred of credibility, protect its highly professional staff and journalists who find themselves caught in the centre of this storm, and its very future, then Sharp must go and other senior executives may well reflect on their position too.”