Sir Philip Green has launched a fresh attack on the chair of the work and pensions committee for criticising him, ahead of a Commons debate on whether to strip the retailer of his knighthood.
A letter from Green’s family holding company, Taveta Investments, accuses Frank Field of “highly defamatory and false statements” about the former BHS owner and his retail empire Arcadia, which includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins.
In particular, the letter (pdf) accuses Field of “causing distress” to Arcadia staff by claiming that Green was “running the Arcadia group into the ground like BHS”. It adds: “The allegations you are making are false and your behaviour unacceptable. Arcadia has 22,000 employees who do not deserve to be treated in this manner.”
Field co-led a parliamentary committee investigation into the demise of BHS earlier this year. The damning report by MPs concluded in July that BHS was subject to “systematic plunder” by its former owners Green and Dominic Chappell.
Green sold BHS for £1 in 2015 to a group of investors led by Chappell, a former racing driver who had previously been declared bankrupt three times. BHS went into administration in April, with a pension deficit of £571m and the loss of 11,000 jobs.
Taveta’s letter also objects to Field’s lack of regret at having stated that Green had been “nicking money off other people”.
It adds: “By making or repeating these statements, you have falsely alleged that Sir Philip is a thief. You know this is false and malicious.” But Taveta said the billionaire would not take legal action against Field, despite him “goading Sir Philip and Arcadia to sue”.
The House of Commons is due to hold a debate on the MPs’ report about the demise of BHS and whether to strip Green of his knighthood at about 11.30am.
Green made a last-ditch attempt to save his knighthood on Tuesday, suggesting that he was close to agreeing a rescue deal for the BHS pension fund and saying he was “very, very, very sorry” for the retailer’s collapse.
Field said on Wednesday that there was little to justify Green holding on to his knighthood. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The key thing was coming up with a generous pension settlement, but he’s never done so.”
According to John Ralfe, an independent pensions expert, the Pensions Regulator is unlikely to find strong legal grounds to demand Sir Philip Green put more money into the BHS pension scheme.
