Government minister says Sir Philip Green not 'worthy' of his knighthood amid bullying claims
2 min read
A government minister has said Sir Philip Green is not "worthy" of his knighthood as pressure mounts for the retail tycoon to be stripped of the honour.
Digital minister Margot James said allegations of bullying and sexual harassment made against the billionaire meant the "forfeiture of his knighthood must be a real possibility".
Sir Philip has faced claims that he groped a female employee and used a racial slur at another worker. He has vigorously denied the allegations and any suggestion of unlawful conduct.
The claims came to light after he dropped a legal battle with the Daily Telegraph aimed at keeping five non-disclosure agreements with former staff members confidential.
Ms James told the Evening Standard: "I feel he is not worthy of a knighthood. The way he's tried to silence the Daily Telegraph and pay people off instead of being held to account sounds like a cover for gross misconduct.
"That, on top of the pensions debacle and sale of BHS, all adds up to a situation where I imagine the forfeiture of his knighthood must be a real possibility."
The call came as Frank Field - who chairs Parliament's cross-party Work and Pensions committee - urged Theresa May to move to strip Sir Philip of the honour.
The ex-Labour MP has previously clashed with the retail boss over his handling of employees' pension schemes at the BHS chain of stores.
Mr Field told the Sun: "The House of Commons voted for him to lose his peerage long before the current revelations.
"Those revelations make it even more urgent for the Prime Minister to act."
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