May 4, 2018

Sports Direct hits out over impact of parliamentary inquiry

Sports Direct, headed by Mike Ashley, has hit out against a former Labour MP's handling of an inquiry into the business saying it coincided with a multimillion-pound slide in the retailer's share price. In a strongly-worded letter to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Keith Hellawell, chairman of Sports Direct, launched a formal complaint against Iain Wright and the inquiry he headed into the group's work practices. Mr Hellawell reportedly said in the letter that Sports Direct staff had been subjected to hate calls during the 2016 investigation. "On one occasion, the calls included a threat to rape a member of staff, and another caller said that they hoped Sports Direct employees would be diagnosed with cancer," according to the letter. Mr Wright's behaviour towards the company "Risked undermining confidence" in the select committee process, the letter went on to say, adding that: "In recent times some select committee proceedings have exposed witnesses appearing before them to a form of inquiry that can only be called a 'public trial'."

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