Interim chair has been appointed

Comic Relief has appointed Tom Shropshire, a trustee, as interim chairman following the controversial resignation of Eric Salama.

The charity announced the move after Salama said he was not consulted on the charity’s backing of a petition calling for a ceasfire in Gaza.

In a post on X, he said the management took “an approach to an issue which I thought was profoundly wrong and which I could not live with”.

According to Comic Relief, the former chair took “a stance being taken on a public issue without any prior consultation with the board or Eric as chair”.

It has been widely reported that the issue was Comic Relief’s decision to join organisations calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.

Comic Relief said in a statement: “Eric decided to step down as chair of Comic Relief, and has brought forward the date of his departure from the previously announced retirement date of March 2024.”

Founded in 1985 by British screenwriter Richard Curtis and Sir Lenny Henry, the charity is estimated to have raised £1.5 billion in its 38 years.

Tom Shropshire said: “I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead the board and work even more closely with the team at Comic Relief to deliver the charity’s ambitions, and most importantly to have impact and make a real difference on the ground.”