“The BBC’s President Resigns Amid Controversy and Calls for Government Accountability”

Not now, not never

“He should have declared that he had this troubled financial relationship with the then prime minister,” said Lucy Powell, culture chief for the opposition Labor Party.

The affair did “incalculable damage” to the BBC’s image, he lamented. Sharp, who also served as boss of current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when they worked at Goldman Sachs, had come under fire for his ties to the Conservative Party.

This proximity was criticized by critics when the BBC decided to suspend the famous presenter Gary Lineker last month after making statements. Lineker compared the government’s immigration rhetoric to that of the Nazi era.

After Friday’s announcement, he considered that the BBC president should not be chosen by the government. “Not now and not ever,” she tweeted.

The importance of the BBC

The BBC, an inescapable institution in the British audiovisual landscape, celebrated its centenary in the boreal autumn hit by competition from payment platforms and the threats they pose to its public funding.

The group has also come under fire in recent years from ruling Conservatives, who accuse it of biased coverage — especially of the brexit—and to focus on the concerns of urban elites rather than the concerns of the popular classes.

In early 2022, the British government—then led by Boris Johnson—froze the £159 ($199) annual media tax for 2 years because of inflation, which is straining household finances.

The Executive also mentioned the possibility of an eventual suppression of the rate, a controversial threat even among conservatives.

Under budgetary pressure, the group announced in May a plan to save 500 million pounds ($647 million) a year.

A thousand jobs (of about 22,000) will be cut, chains will be merged and others will be broadcast exclusively online.

With information from AFP and EFE