BBC: Directors

(asked on 11th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the previously declared political affiliations of the current non-executive directors of the BBC; and what are the (1) present and (2) past, political affiliations of members of the BBC Board.


Answered by
Baroness Barran Portrait
Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This question was answered on 19th May 2021

As per the BBC Charter, the Chair and Nations Members of the BBC Board are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, via Order in Council, following a fair and open competition. All other members of the BBC Board are appointed by the BBC.

Upon appointment, the Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. As per the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ‘political activity should not affect any judgement of merit nor be a bar to appointment’.

The BBC Board’s Code of Practice also requires members of the BBC Board to publicly declare their personal interests (including any political interests), and to regularly update this declaration. The BBC publishes each Board member’s Declaration of Personal Interests annually via its website: https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/whoweare/bbcboard.

Those BBC Board Members appointed by Her Majesty the Queen made the following declarations upon appointment:

  1. Chair: Richard Sharp declared he had made one political donation to the Conservative Party of £2,500 during the past five years at time of appointment.

  1. Scotland: Steve Morrison declared no such political activity during the past five years at time of appointment.

  1. England: Sir Robbie Gibb declared that between 2017 and 2019 he was Director of Communications at No10 Downing Street during the past five years at time of appointment.

  1. Wales: Dame Elan Cross Stephens declared no such political activity during the past five years at time of initial appointment in 2017 and reappointment in 2021.

  1. Northern Ireland: This role is currently vacant.

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