what has been said about sam blythe and his - said about sam blythe and his role at the british counciladian _ at the british council? a very i wealthy canadian businessman, interestingly, interest in different countries will be same time these discussions are going on about the abc -- bbc —— bbc chairman schiff... an offshoot of the foreign office, he was on the shortlist for running it. he later wrote hymns about that position and did i make a former application, but the sunday times says he was on the at the time. guaranteeing that big loan when these discussion were taking place. mrjohnson's spokesperson said, he did not talk to him about that and was not even aware of discussions of the british council.— the british council. thank you so much for talking _ the british council. thank you so much for talking us _ the british council. thank you so much for talking us through - the british council. thank you so much for talking us through it i the british council. thank you sol much for talking us through it all. that is you and watson, our political correspondent. —— that is iain wats

briefly the dinner you referred to there, that was a meal featuring johnson and sam blyth, guarantoravour residence. and insists it was all declared. it is inevitably focusing on the former prime minister. lucy powell, the shadow culture secretary, the party was referred to the parliamentary watchdog and she tweeted a few moments ago the revelations undermined public confidence in the bbc and its reputation for neutrality and impartiality. sp there are kind of obvious questions, not only for the political establishment, the civil service, the prime minister, also the chairman and again, for the sake of fairness, which i am sure you will in due course read this out anyway, but sharp's position, he has acknowledged he introduced johnson's guarantor, the man who underwrote his 6—figure financialfacility, sam blyth, sam blyth, he introduced him to simon case, he said that on the record but as for the application process, he says there were no interest to declare and said activities went no further. respect. so his position is straightforward in that respect. he says there was no conflict

i suppose there is the act of introducing sam blyth to the nation's top official not in and of itselfict, but his position is emphatic. ican bring i can bring you a statement from the bbc. bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government. the cabinet office been contacted but has not commented to the bbc. the news that broken the last hour. six more classified documents found in the usjustice department search of president biden pod back in wilmington dell —— wilmington delaware. his attorney said the president offered access to the home to allow the department to search the entire premises for potential vice presidential records and potential classified material. neither the president nor his wife were present at the time. protests in israel against plans by the new right—wing government to overhaul thejudicial system have gone on into the night. there were more than 100,000 protesters in tel aviv alone. thousands more took to the streets in other cities. it's the largest demonstration since benjamin netanyahu's return to power last

the following month, sharp dined with a friend of his, a man by the name of sam blyth, a foreign citizening underwrite the then prime minister's lifestyle. johnson had a lot of difficulty relating to divorce payments and childcare costs and sharpe actually volunteered to help, he introduced the idea to simon case, he actually went to see simon case, the cabinet secretary the nation's top official in downing street and they discuss the matter and he brokered the introduction to blyth and briefed the prime minister and it was in november, it was in november 2020 or early december the meeting occurred and the cabinet office propriety and ethics team, the internal watchdog for ministerial conduct in whitehall produced a formal letter to johnson expressly stating that he had to stop discussing and soliciting advice from sharp in respect of his private financial matters. stay with us, we have had reaction in from the former prime minister this evening. i'll read it out: . that's the response from the former prime minister and what is the political reaction to your story? briefly the dinner you

so in late 2020, mr sharp connected sam blyth with the head of the civil service simon case for adviceonflict of interest. he'd already applied for the job of bbc chairman, and a few weeks later was announced as the government's choice. he says he did nothing wrong. he says the three friends all had dinner at chequers, the prime minister's country residence, later that year, after he'd got the job, but describes this as a "social meeting" and mrjohnson�*s financial affairs were not discussed. this morning i asked mr sharp about exactly what had happened. during the process, candidates were asked if there could be anything that could embarrass the government or the organisation if it came to light. i mean, this is embarrassing to the bbc and potentially the government, isn't it? having had a discussion with the cabinet secretary about avoiding a conflict and the perception of conflict, i felt comfortable, and i still feel there was no conflict, because at that stage what i was seeking to do was ensure that the process was followed exactly by the book, and that the process hadn't started

sam blythe there is a distant cousin of the former prime minister. he went on to say...last hour, he has put out this statement internally to all bbc staff. it is quite a complicated story and you were trying very fabulously to explain it, but it is complicated but essentially it was this story that broke in the sunday times and the picture around it is a perception issue. was there a problem that somebody who later became chairman of the bbc, was, it was reported, helping facilitate an £800,000 loan to borisjohnson and later decided this man was his preferred candidate for the bbc chairman and a bit after that he was appointed by a panel. richard sharp, he put out this internal statement making clear he was not involved in making a loan or arranging a guarantee. but he is very aware he says that this is what he calls a distraction. you knows that as bbc chairman he has a responsibility to staff and audiences to make sure the bbc is held in high regard and says, i do not want this episode to distract from the important work you are doing. he has said over the weekend tha

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blyth to the relevant official in government.man. we both agreed to avoid any conflict that i should have nothing further to do with the matter. we then asked them if there's anything else they haven't declared... today at the public accounts committee, the chair of the panel that agreed his appointment ran through the questions candidates were asked, including any conflict—of—interest. and then also whether there was anything else we ought to be aware of which, if it came to light, might embarrass either the government or the organisation responsible. john nicolson is a member of the select committee which approved richard sharp's appointment two years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, the bbc chair, should be called back, because clearly he withheld information from us during his pre—appointment hearing. mr sharp isn't the first bbc chairman to be politically well—connected, he's a former adviser to borisjohnson and was rishi sunak�*s old boss at goldman sachs. he's not the first bbc chairman to have donated m

so in late 2020, mr sharp connected sam blyth with the head of the civil service, simon case, for advicehe agreed not to be involved any further to prevent a conflict of interest. he'd already applied for the job of bbc chairman, and a few weeks later was announced as the government's choice. he says he did nothing wrong. he says the three friends all had dinner at chequers, the prime minister's country residence, later that year, after he'd got the job, but describes this as a "social meeting." and mrjohnson�*s financial affairs were not discussed. during the process, candidates were askedif during the process, candidates were asked if i could be anything that could embarrass the government if it came to light. this is in to be bbc and potentially the government, isn't it? . . . and potentially the government, isn'tit? . . . ,. isn't it? having had a discussion with the cabinet _ isn't it? having had a discussion with the cabinet secretary - isn't it? having had a discussion | with the cabinet secretary about avoiding conflict on the perception of conflict, i felt comfortable, and i sti

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blyth to the relevant official in government.submitted my application for the position of bbc chairman. we both agreed to avoid any conflict that i should have nothing further to do with the matter. john nicolson is a member of the select committee which approved richard sharp's appointment two years ago. i richard sharp's appointment two ears a . o. . richard sharp's appointment two ears a a 0. ., . ., , richard sharp's appointment two earsao. . . . ,., years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard _ years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, - years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, the i years ago. i am certainly of the i view that richard sharp, the bbc chair, should be called back, because clearly he withheld information from us during his pre—appointment hearing. the pre-appointment hearing. the committee _ pre-appointment hearing. the committee is _ pre—appointment hearing. the committee is due to meet tomorrow. tonight, the bbc chairman, richard sharp, said he welcomed the review into

that loan was reportedly being guaranteed by the millionaire businessman sam blyth, who asked mr sharpiscussed this with the head of the civil service — this man, simon case — who was appointed by borisjohnson, and introduced him to sam blyth. just weeks later, mrjohnson had recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the £160,000—a—year role as bbc chairman. candidates for the role must declare any conflict of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one, as he'd just connected the two men. a cabinet office spokesperson said mr sharp had asked simon case for advice on it all. they agreed that he could not take part in discussions involving the then—prime minister, and this was accepted by mr sharp, to avoid any conflict or appearance of any conflict of interest. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i've not had a chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today, but i have absolutely no doubt he was appointed on merit. thi

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blyth to the relevant official in government.uld have nothing further to do with the matter. john nicolson is a member of the select committee which approved richard sharp's appointment two years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, the bbc chair, should be called back, because clearly he withheld information from us during his pre—appointment hearing. the committee is due to meet tomorrow. tonight, the bbc chairman, richard sharp, said he welcomed the review into his appointment. it is now up to the commission to decide if the job was given fairly, openly and on merit. katie razzall, bbc news. a crackdown against the lgbt+ community in russia has intensified after a tough new law was passed by the russian parliament. the bill, passed in december, places restrictions on almost any mention of lgbt people or culture. russian officials have said the war in ukraine is a battle against western culture, and especially against lgbt values, which president putin described as "�*pure satanism.�* will vernon reports from mos

this is sam blyth, the wealthy canadian businessmen and distant cousin of boris johnson.ster financially. he asked his friend richard sharp had to go about it. mr sharp at the time was advising the government and put mr blyth in touch with the most senior civil servant in the country to discuss the matter. but richard sharp was also running for the job of bbc chairman. it is an appointment given by the government, not the broadcaster. mr blyth went on to guarantee an £800,000 loan facility to boris johnson, but mr sharp said he wasn't involved in the financing. the sunday times has obtained a leaked memo to borisjohnson dating from december 20020, two weeks before mr sharp was announced as the new bbc chairman. it dispenses the following advice to the then prime minister: last week, richard sharp said he gave no advice to borisjohnson. i knew nothing and i know nothing about his finances. sam was responding to press reports. i don't know anything about boris johnson's finances. and he's sticking to that position now. a spokesman for borisjohnson said richard sharp has nev

to a loan of up to £800,000 by putting a wealthy distant relative of the former prime minister, sam blythecial, cabinet secretary simon case. the paper claims he didn't declare this during his application to the bbc. but in a statement, mr sharp denied any conflict of interest, saying this morning the foreign secretary defended richard sharp's appointment. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i've not had a chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today. before he was appointed as bbc chair, richard sharp was quizzed by mps about his political links. i'm asking if you think it's appropriate that you should end up, as a massive tory donor, getting a job from a tory cabinet minister when you're friends with two members of the cabinet. firstly, i think that is an entirely legitimate question to ask. - well, thank you. and the answer is, - really, on my merits am ian appropriate candidate? will i be able to do a good job? i and i thi

broke a week ago that his role has simply been to introduce a wealthy canadian businessman called sam blythr financially. he had no knowledge, he said, of the financial arrangements. and in a letter to bbc staff, he said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blyth did turn out to guarantee a loan worth £800,000. now, following the publication of this leaked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed. his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. he is, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. the australian open tennis tournament is coming to an end in melbourne. belarussian aryna sabalenka is the new women's champion after beating elena rybakina. darren walton, our reporter for the australian associated press, told me the scale of sabalenka's victory can't be over—stated. a breakthrou

the sunday times says richard sharp became involved after dining with his friend sam blyth, a distanton case to discuss the matter in noio. richard sharp said "there is not a conflict when i simply connected, at his request, mr blyth with the cabinet secretary and had no further involvement whatsoever." the cabinet office have been contacted but have not commented to the bbc. a bbc spokesman said: "the bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government." president zelensky and the first lady have been taking part in a memorial in kyiv for interior minister denys monastyrsky and 13 other people killed following a helicopter crash. the accident happened earlier this week in a suburb of kyiv, and set a kindergarten on fire. president zelensky says he'll keep asking western allies to send modern tanks to ukraine, after a meeting of allied nations in germany on friday ended without an agreement to provide them. protests have taken place in berlin to demand the approval of german—made tanks to be sent to kyiv. let's go live to berlin now and

the bbc and he says there is no conflict of interest because all he did was pass on the name of sam blythhe was not involved in the loan. but there's the second element of it, which is that once it becomes front page news, lots of people raised eyebrows about it. it all looks as though we want to know much more about it. there were many people involved in the process of appointing richard sharp. for instance, you've got the appraisal panel, and then you've also got the commons media select committee, which has an official role in essentially saying whether or not richard sharp should be approving him. and none of them knew about any of this. should he have told them? essentially, should he have overreported to avoid a perception of a conflict of interest? 0pposition parties say the conservative party chair, nadhim zahawi, should be sacked now rather than wait for the result of an investigation. the government's ethics adviser is looking into mr zahawi's financial affairs after it emerged he had to pay a penalty to the taxman while he was chancellor. he says he acted properly. jonathan por

broke a week ago that his role has simply been to introduce a wealthy canadian businessman called sam blyth minister financially. he had no knowledge, he said, of the financial arrangements. and in a letter to bbc staff, he said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blyth did turn out to guarantee a loan worth £800,000. now, following the publication of this leaked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed. his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. he is, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. iain watson reporting. tributes have been paid to the american singer and guitarist tom verlaine, who's died at the age of 73. # he founded the legendary punk band television, famous for their seminal debut album marquee moon. mike scott of the waterboys said he was the best rock and roll

the loan facility was being provided by a distant cousin of missjohnson, a man called sam blyth.nt in the cabinet office, simon case, discuss it. paper says mr sharp is not a clear and his application. labour believes ms johnson should have declared the arrangement and has reverted to the parliamentary standards committee. mr sharp told us there was not a conflict. dominic and said he simply connected at his request to mr blythe with the cabinet secretary, mystery case, and had no further involvement whatsoever. a spokesman for borisjohnson dismissed the claims as rubbish and said mr sharp had never given any financial advice to mrjohnson and alljohnson�*s financial arrangements had been properly declared and registered on advice of officials. a spokesman for the bbc said the corporation plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions were a matter for the government. we have asked the cabinet office for comment but they have yet to respond. thanks to helen catt for that. it's the lunar new year on monday, also known as the spring festival or chinese new year. a t

that through meeting with a distant cousin of mrjohnson, a wealthy canadian businessman, called sam blythas a guarantor for that loan. he was later put in touch by richard sharp with the cabinet secretary, the most senior official in government, simon case. that, as far as richard sharp is saying in a short statement he's issued, is the end of it. he simply connected individuals. the sunday times says he didn't declare any of that when he was applying for the job and indeed appointed for the role of bbc chairman and that raises what some see as a conflict of interest. borisjohnson's spokesperson has dismissed the story saying he never sought financial advice from mr sharp or received it and all of his financial affairs are properly declared. the bbc have said it is a matter for the government. until this morning we had had no government response, but the foreign secretary james cleverly, has been speaking on sunday with laura kuenssberg this morning here on bbc news and he was asked if this looked like borisjohnson was doing a favour for his friend. he acknowledged that perception was imp

broke a week ago that his role has simply been to introduce a wealthy canadian businessman called sam blythservant to discuss how he could assist the prime minister financially. he had no knowledge, he said, of the financial arrangements. and in a letter to bbc staff, he said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blyth did turn out to guarantee a loan worth £800,000. now, following the publication of this leaked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed — his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. iain watson reporting. police in the north—east of england are questioning a 16—year—old boy on suspicion of murder after a 15—year—old girl was stabbed to death. the attack happened on a street in the small market town of hexham. another 16—year—old boy was taken to hospital

this man simon case who was appointed by borisjohnson and introduced him to sam blyth.idate for the 160,00 pounds a year role as bbc chairman. candidates must declare any conflict of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one as he has just connected the two men. today, a cabinet office spokesperson said mr sharp had asked simon case on advice for it all. they agreed he could not take part in discussion involving the then prime minister and this was accepted by mr sharp to avoid any conflict or appearance of conflict of interest. i know he is an incredibly accomplished, successful individual, who brings a wealth of experience with him, that is why me was appointed to che man ship of the bbc, but i have not had a chance to discuss any of the issues brought up—to—date but i have no doubt he was appointed on merit. as a long time conservative donor, mr sharp's appoint was questioned at the time by mps. i am asking if you think it is appropriate that you should end up as a massive tory donor, getting a job from a tory cabinet minister when you are friends with two members of

the first one is the - conversation between richard sharpe and sam blythe while richard sharp apply toecretary and said i'd been approached this way and they said this ends now. you don't take part in any more of this and that's the end of conflict of interest and that was the end of it so there was no conflict of interest and he believes he got the job on merit, conflict of interest and he believes he got thejob on merit, not conflict of interest and he believes he got the job on merit, not because of his relationship with the prime minister and finances. the second one is the issue of whether he should have told more people. he told simon case but there was an advisory panel that was part of the appointment process in the commons media select committee which has a role in the approval of the bbc chairman. they knew nothing about it and there will certainly be questions from members of that committee as to why they did not know about this particular incident. so where does it go from here? we have so where does it go from here? - have the commissioner for public appointments, william

to a loan of up to £800,000 by putting a wealthy distant relative of the former prime minister, sam blythe the most senior government official, cabinet secretary simon case. the report says he did not declare this during his application to the bbc, but in says he did not declare this during his application to the bbc, but in a statement, mr sharpe denied any conflict of interest, saying... this morning, the foreign secretary defended richard sharpe's appointment. i defended richard sharpe's appointment.— defended richard sharpe's appointment. defended richard sharpe's anointment. ~ ., ., ., appointment. i know that he has an incredibly accomplished, _ appointment. i know that he has an incredibly accomplished, incredibly| incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth_ successful individual who brings a wealth of— successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why— wealth of experience with him. that is why he _ wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i have not had _ chairmanship

arranging a guarantee and i did not arrange any financing, what i did do was seek an introduction of sam blythal in government. he believes that puts him in the clear, particularly as he says he discussed the fact that he was applying for the job as bbc chairman with the civil service, worrying about conflict of interest and they agreed he would take no further part in the conversation about loans. i guess, does it draw a line in the sand? what happens next? including, will there be any inquiry? will the dcms select committee call him back to question him? because they questioned him and some people at the time and some people on that committee believe he should have revealed this information to them then. and then the perception, he is on an awayday with senior staff tomorrow, he is clearly under pressure, richard sharp is the face of impartiality on the bbc and yet his own impartiality is being questioned, and until we do an interview with him, i think those questions well rumbled on.- an interview with him, i think those questions well rumbled on. thank you ve much, questions well rumbled o

this is sam blythe, the wealthy canadian businessmen and distant cousin of boris johnson.the broadcaster. sam blythe went on to guarantee an £800,000 loan to borisjohnson, but mr sharpe says he wasn't involved in the financing. the sunday times has obtained a leaked memo to borisjohnson dating from december 20020, two weeks before mr sharpe was announced as the new bbc chairman. it dispenses the following advice to the then prime minister: last week, richard sharpe said he gave no advice to borisjohnson. i knew nothing and know nothing about his finances. sam was responding to press reports. i don't know anything about boris johnson's finances. and he's sticking to that position now. a spokesman for borisjohnson said richard sharpe has never given any financial advice to borisjohnson, nor has borisjohnson asked for advice from him. in terms of standards and ethics, it wouldn't tell us why they issued a warning on financial advice. it says simply it does not comment on lease documents. iain watson, bbc news. our political correspondent david wallace lockhartjoins us now. da

that loan was reportedly being guaranteed by the millionaire businessman sam blyth, who asked mr sharped this with the head of the civil service — this man, simon case — who was appointed by borisjohnson, and introduced him to sam blyth. just weeks later, mrjohnson had recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the £160,000—a—year role as bbc chairman. candidates for the role must declare any conflict of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one, as he'd just connected the two men. today, a cabinet office spokesperson said mr sharp had asked simon case for advice on it all. they agreed that he could not take part in discussions involving the then—prime minister, and this was accepted by mr sharp, to avoid any conflict or appearance of any conflict of interest. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i've not had a chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today, but i have absolutely no doubt he was appointed on merit. th

the bbc and he says there is no conflict of interest because all he did was pass on the name of sam blythch has an official role in essentially saying whether or not richard sharp should be approving him. and none of them knew about any of this. should he have told them? essentially, should he have overreported to avoid a perception of a conflict of interest? there is one other element to this that has come to light on a podcast called the newsagents, where there was a discussion about what involvement the chairman might have had in the appointment of the head of news. how much attention is that getting? so this goes to the very heart of it. what does the chairman actually do at the bbc? and the job of the chairman has almost always been political. they've been political operatives right back to the 1920s rather than people who know anything about broadcasting. however, there has always been a distance of one form or another. i mean, if you're going to have the history of bbc governance, it is complicated. it has changed a great deal. but the essence was, was that they would maybe they wo

of the civil service, this man simon case who was appointed by borisjohnson and introduced him to sam blython recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the 160,00 pounds a year role as bbc chairman. candidates must declare any conflict of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one he hasjust of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one he has just kicked the two men. today a cabinet office spokesperson said mr sharp asked simon case for it all. they agreed he could not take part in discussion involving the then prime minister and this was accepted by mr sharp to avoid any conflict or appearance of conflict of interest. i avoid any conflict or appearance of conflict of interest.— conflict of interest. i know he is an incredibly — conflict of interest. i know he is an incredibly accomplished, - an incredibly accomplished, successful individual, who brings a wealth of experience with him, that is why me was appointed to che man ship of the bbc, but i have not had a chance to discuss any of the issues brought up—to—date but i have no doubt he was appointed on merit. as a long time conser

had made this intervention on behalf of sam blythe, to say to the cabinet secretary, how should i introduceis in any different light and those other things will have been taken into account by the interview panel but the fact is that there was a process which emphasises maximum disclosure, so nothing like this can happen, that things come out after the event that then cast doubt on whether the appointment was inappropriate in some way, so i think that... inappropriate in some way, so i think that. . .— inappropriate in some way, so i think that. .. going forward, again for ublic think that. .. going forward, again for public institutions, _ think that. .. going forward, again for public institutions, which - think that. .. going forward, again for public institutions, which is i for public institutions, which is what today�*s report focuses on, is it right that the bbc should have, you know, politically appointed chair people at the top, given this is supposed to be a completely neutral editorial organisation? well, on the one hand, i think my understanding is that the chair should not be i

he gained the backing of sam blyth , a the backing of sam blyth, a canadian businessman and relativen the dominican republic. it's normally available to rent for up to $5,000 a night. johnson said all arrangements had been properly declared and he did not need to register the holiday because it was a personal benefit provided by a family member. well, there you go. is that a scandal? you tell me . that a scandal? you tell me. windsor peace talk plan ahead of coronation. inside leaders discuss bringing warring brothers together but insist both must be flexible . also, both must be flexible. also, teachers vote to strike next month. okay okay. next up, we've got the observer cabinet split over nhs pay piles, pressure on sunak the sun express sex assault during riots at migrant centre . a migrant centre worker centre. a migrant centre worker to be the victim of a sexual assault during a riot at britain's largest immigration removal camp . security guards removal camp. security guards were threatened kidnap and murder as gangs of albanians, vietnamese and north africans engagedin vietnam

he gained the backing of sam blyth , a the backing of sam blyth, a canadian businessman and relativen the dominican republic. it's normally available to rent for up to $5,000 a night. johnson said all arrangements had been properly declared and he did not need to register the holiday because it was a personal benefit provided by a family member. well, there you go. is that a scandal? you tell me . that a scandal? you tell me. windsor peace talk plan ahead of coronation. inside leaders discuss bringing warring brothers together but insist both must be flexible . also, both must be flexible. also, teachers vote to strike next month. okay okay. next up, we've got the observer cabinet split over nhs pay piles, pressure on sunak the sun express sex assault during riots at migrant centre . a migrant centre worker centre. a migrant centre worker to be the victim of a sexual assault during a riot at britain's largest immigration removal camp . security guards removal camp. security guards were threatened kidnap and murder as gangs of albanians, vietnamese and north africans engagedin vietnam

sam blythe was also in the running for a high—profile public appointment.you are seeing is a real web of connections thatjust seeing is a real web of connections that just does seeing is a real web of connections thatjust does not feel right and for members of the public listening and watching this, itjust feels like more conservative sleeves and scandal. ., scandal. something not feeling right is not the same _ scandal. something not feeling right is not the same as _ scandal. something not feeling right is not the same as having _ scandal. something not feeling right is not the same as having evidence l is not the same as having evidence and you do not have a need to? that is wh we and you do not have a need to? that is why we are _ and you do not have a need to? trust is why we are asking for boris johnson to come clean and post to what his feelings were. we see when we looked at the partygate scandal that what he did is bear down, bear down and refused to answer until it became quite clear with the acceptance of a fixed penalty ticket that he had broken

this is not a page anywhere on register of interest, but more extraordinary still that this cousin sam blythenveyed had applied to be chief executive of the british council, a body run by the foreign office, essentially the foreign office, essentially the venerable old britain around the venerable old britain around the world, and officials in downing street, including the cabinet secretary, apparently didn't know that blythe was in for a government job at the same time when he's agreeing to give johnson this credit facility, which doesn't appear on any pubuc which doesn't appear on any public register when they say it's not on the register of interest, why not? i thought that was the public record of what employees do on the site? the there are different the money there are different registers as know this registers. as you know this there's employees register which is the toughest of all actually . and then if you're a minister there's also a ministerial register of interests to make sure that anything in your background doesn't conflict with work, your work as a minister and of the ministe

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blythe to the relevant official in government."puts him in the clear, particularly as he says he discussed the fact that he was applying for the job as bbc chairman with simon case, the civil servant worried about a conflict of interest, and they agreed he would take no further part in any conversations about loans. so i guess the question is does it draw a line in the sand? what happens next? big questions still to be answered, including will there be an inquiry? as you said, labour wants one. will the dcms select committee call him back to question him? because they questioned him at the time and some people believe on that committee that he should have revealed this information to them then and then the perception issues. he's an away day with senior staff tomorrow. he's clearly under pressure. richard sharp is the face of impartiality on the bbc and yet his own impartiality is being questioned. and until we do an interview with him, i think those questions will rumble on. we arejoined by we are joined by tony fisher, a speciali

i put boris johnson's distant cousin, sam blythe, in touch with cabinet secretary simon case and a alonet chequers, as you do. they did . chequers, as you do. they did. they did. but simon case supposedly told boris johnson and richard sharpe to stop this conversation . and shortly after conversation. and shortly after that , boris conversation. and shortly after that, boris johnson took the decision along with the culture secretary to give him the job. now he be the best person for the job, but it's not a great look . it the job, but it's not a great look. it raises again , very look. it raises again, very uncomfortable questions . yeah. uncomfortable questions. yeah. when of course, we've got all the industrial action continuing nhs strikes february the sixth looming when you many in the tory party saying . these are the tory party saying. these are the problems we should really be addressing. yeah, i mean it was always going to be a very difficult winter for the government. yeah and that was before scandals and before we have scandals and rishi sunak did stand there and you know, acco