Oliver Dowden, the new deputy prime minister, said the manner of Richard Sharp’s appointment was “transparent” and above board as the beleaguered BBC chair and Tory donor awaits publication of a report into how he secured the job.

Dowden, who was culture secretary in February 2021 when Sharp was given the role, said he would not pre-empt an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).

“As secretary of state responsible for his appointment, we as a department went around the appointment process well. We ran it transparently and I have every confidence that the inquiry will uphold that process as being the right one,” Dowden, who became deputy PM on Friday after Dominic Raab resigned, told Sky News on Sunday.