BORIS Johnson's first choice to be chairman of the BBC has ruled himself out of the role, according to reports.

Charles Moore, the former editor of the Daily Telegraph, ruled himself out for personal reasons, despite previous reports that his taking the position had been "virtually a done deal".

A formal recruitment process to find a successor to Sir David Clementi, who will stand down as chairman of the BBC board in February, has yet to commence.

However, the BBC would reportedly have been forced to inflate the salary it pays its chairman to at least £280,000 to attract Moore to the role.

Clementi is currently paid £100,000 per annum.

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Moore's reported recruitment sparked controversy after his past comments on race, LGBT people, Muslims, and the BBC itself came to light.

Baron Moore of Etchingham has publicly compared same-sex marriage to being allowed to wed "one’s dog", said that higher Muslims populations in typically non-Muslim countries produces "more intolerance" and "more terrorism", and wrote "that there really is something different about blacks".

He also said the BBC is the "great abortionist of creativity", "pushes a lot of bad values", and that he has "effectively always ... been against the licence fee". 

Lord Moore did receive backing from Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, who told the Mail on Sunday: "Charles Moore is one of the most brilliant writers, journalists and thinkers in Britain today.

"Anyone who knows him knows he is open-minded, fair-minded, passionate about this country's success.

"The BBC is an amazing institution and Charles is someone who would bring a properly Reithian approach to it. He would want to make the BBC succeed."

The Government refused to comment on speculation around the recruitment process.

A Government spokesperson said: "We will launch the application process for the new chair of the BBC shortly.

"It is an open recruitment process and all public appointments are subject to a robust and fair selection criteria."

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Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has previously said the Government wants a "strong, big person who can hold the BBC to account" to fill the role.

Johnson's Government is also reported to be supporting former Daily Mail editor and vocal BBC critic Paul Dacre to become chairman of broadcast regulator Ofcom.

Gove said: "Paul Dacre is probably the single most successful newspaper editor of the past three or four decades and he is someone who has defied expectations in the campaigns that he's run on the environment and to pursue the killers of Stephen Lawrence.

"Because both men are right of centre, and because both of them - like 52% of the people in this country - thought we should leave the European Union, they have been painted in primary colours as somehow demon kings. That is just not true."