Another week and another Sunday Times story about Boris Johnson’s finances. The paper has got hold of a leaked Cabinet Office memo which it says shows that Johnson was told to stop asking Richard Sharp for ‘advice’ about his ‘personal financial matters’ days before the latter was announced as the next BBC chairman. The memo, written by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, was drawn up after Johnson and Sharp sought advice in early December on accepting a loan of up to £800,000 guaranteed by the PM’s distant cousin Sam Blyth. According to the Sunday Times, the advice issued by Case stated that:
given the imminent announcement of Richard Sharp as the new BBC chair, it is important that you no longer ask his advice about your personal financial matters.
Sharp is accused of having failed to disclose this information when he was nominated for the role, despite government rules about disclosing conflicts of interest.
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