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Sir Philip's Fury At 'Abuse' From BHS Inquiry MP

Former BHS boss Sir Philip Green has accused an MP of turning a parliamentary inquiry on the collapse of the company into "little more than a kangaroo court".

In a furious letter to Frank Field, who chairs the work and pensions committee, the business tycoon said the MP's allegations of theft amounted to bullying and political grandstanding.

Sir Philip described Mr Field's remarks in The Times, where he suggested the entrepreneur doesn't have the money to plug the retailer's £600m-plus pension deficit, as a "step too far".

He wrote: "I have tried to stay silent in the face of your regular outbursts and to focus on the important task of working towards a solution for the BHS pensioners.

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"But I am not prepared to continue to allow your abuse to go unanswered."

The chairman of Arcadia Group - which owns brands including Topshop, Burton Menswear and Dorothy Perkins - lambasted Mr Field for "insulting me and my family and (his) announcement from day one that the predetermined result of the inquiry was that I either sign a large cheque or lose my knighthood".

Sir Philip reiterated that Mr Field was unable to point to any rules or laws that the businessman had broken in relation to the demise of BHS.

The latest twist in the bitter row came after dozens of BHS stores shut their doors for the final time - with a total of 11,000 jobs to disappear as further closures take place between now and 20 August.

Some staff in the closing branches, who had worked for BHS for more than 15 years, have said they are struggling to find alternative work.

Earlier this week, Mr Field was threatened with legal action after he alleged that Sir Philip had "plundered" BHS' pension schemes.

The Labour MP had also said: "The question must now be asked whether Sir Philip Green can be trusted at the tiller of Arcadia, another private company with thousands of employees, a massive pension deficit and a near identical cast of yes-men on the board.

"Would you trust him with your pension? Your job?"

Sir Philip is currently in the initial phase of discussions with the Pensions Regulator about how to plug the deficit in the BHS scheme.

But Dave Gill, the national officer of the USDAW union, has warned a number of "hard-working and loyal" BHS employees remain concerned about the state of their pension pot.