Richard Sharp is out at the BBC: now can we think about how we hold other miscreants to account? | Simon Jenkins

Society is making strange decisions. Some in high office lose jobs and deserve to, but we also ignore others whose sins are egregious

What have the now former chair of the BBC, the Labour veteran Diane Abbott and the ousted chancellor Nadhim Zahawi all got in common? Indeed, what do they share with Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab and Matt Hancock?

The answer is that they have all been accused of things that so upset people as to cause them to lose or risk losing their jobs. Failing to disclose having facilitated a loan, enjoying an unwise liaison, holding a contentious opinion: the misbehaviour in question varies, but all was deemed sufficiently significant to risk ruining their reputations or future careers - or at least for their organisations to be under pressure to see them depart to appease its critics.