Chairman of the BBC Richard Sharp has declined Rishi Sunak's full support.
After it was discovered that Mr. Sharp acted as a go-between for a loan guarantee for the previous prime minister Boris Johnson, he came under scrutiny.
According to a report by a committee of MPs, he applied for the BBC position while making "significant errors of judgment.".
Insisting that there was no conflict of interest, he maintains that he was hired on the basis of merit.
Upon being questioned on Monday, Mr. Sunak stated he would not "pre-judge" the results of an inquiry by the government's appointments watchdog.
The official spokesperson for the prime minister responded when asked directly if Mr. Sunak had confidence in Mr. Sharp, "Yes, we are confident the process was followed.
The public appointments code was followed in this two-stage process, which included evaluation by an advisory assessment panel. But a review of this process has been conducted, and we will carefully consider that. ".
The former banker is under increasing pressure after a damning report by MPs concluded that he made "significant errors of judgment" by serving as a middleman for Sam Blyth, a wealthy Canadian and distant relative of Mr. Johnson.
After learning about the then-PM's financial difficulties from the media, Mr. Blyth declared he was ready to serve as a guarantor for a loan for him that could be worth up to £800,000.
Simon Case, the top civil servant in the nation, was approached by Mr. Sharp, who was at the time serving as a Treasury adviser, to set up a meeting between the two.
He was told to stop participating in the discussions at the time because he had already applied for the BBC job.
Even though he acknowledged having a social gathering with Mr Johnson and Mr. Blyth at Chequers months later, Mr. Sharp insists his involvement in the matter ended with that one meeting.
In addition to other duties, the chairman is in charge of upholding and safeguarding the BBC's independence and making sure the organization carries out its mission to inform, educate, and entertain.
The BBC board will meet on Monday, according to BBC News. There are no scheduled meetings this month, according to a source who spoke to BBC News.
For comments, BBC News has gotten in touch with the other board members.
When questioned about the appointment while on a visit to Oldham, Mr. Sunak responded, "Obviously, this relates to a process that happened before I was prime minister.
"The independent office of public appointments is currently looking into it, and since that process is ongoing, I can't speculate or predict how it will turn out. However, this is an independent process that will look into it to ensure that all the rules and procedures were followed, so we will obviously wait for the report. ".
Reporters questioned a Downing Street spokesman about the government's stance in the wake of Mr. Sunak's remarks this morning.
We believe the procedure was followed, he said. However, since the review is still in progress, I won't engage in speculation at this time. ".
When asked a third time to clarify whether the prime minister had confidence in Mr. Sharp or in the selection process, Mr. Sunak's representative said: "We are confident that a standard process was followed, and there is an ongoing review. ".
When the question "does Richard Sharp retain the Prime Minister's support?" came up for the fourth time, the spokesperson responded, "Yes, again, I don't have much more beyond what I have already said.
. "
