Mike Ashley Puts 'Condition' On MPs' Inquiry

Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley has agreed to give evidence to a parliamentary probe on working practices but only on "condition" MPs visit his main warehouse beforehand.

The announcement was made by the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee which has been locked in a row with the retail chain's founder over his reluctance to appear before them.

It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) has threatened to exercise historic - and largely untested - powers to hold him in contempt of Parliament if he fails to submit himself for questioning on 7 June.

The probe by MPs relates to allegations raised by the Guardian newspaper last year and its efforts to hear from Mr Ashley have sparked a bitter war of words.

He responded to a previous request to give evidence by suggesting, in an interview with Sky News , that the committee was "a joke" and its order an "abuse of the parliamentary process".

The signs for an agreement this time round do not look good after the committee turned down his earlier offer of a visit to Sports Direct's Derbyshire warehouse.

A Sports Direct spokesman said: "We can confirm that Mike Ashley has agreed to attend Westminster - provided that the committee members visit the Shirebrook premises in advance to see employment conditions and practices with their own eyes."

He has even offered to fly the MPs to Derbyshire in his helicopter.

The MPs have previously insisted Mr Ashley answer all their questions on the record in public.

The committee said on Tuesday it would decide on its response to Mr Ashley's latest letter at a meeting next week.

Mr Ashley, who has said Sports Direct has nothing to hide, has blamed a "media frenzy" over working practices for a plunge in Sport's Direct's profits and share price.

He was quoted by The Times in March as saying: "We are in trouble, we are not trading very well.

"We can't make the same profit we made last year.

"We are supposed to be taking the profits up, they are not supposed to be coming down, and the more the media frenzy feeds on it, the more it affects us."

Sports Direct's market value remains more than 40% down on a year ago.

It has been a tough few months for Mr Ashley as he is also the owner of Newcastle United - recently relegated from the Premier League.

The club crashed into the second tier of English club football despite the businessman spending big on players in the January transfer window and appointing ex-Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez as manager after the sacking of Steve McClaren in March.