Sports Direct's Mike Ashley to avoid grilling over USC collapse

USC went bust and was then bought back debt-free by Sports Direct

The Sports Direct owner, Mike Ashley, could avoid a grilling by MPs about the collapse of his fashion chain USC (AFP/Getty)

The Sports Direct owner, Mike Ashley, could avoid a grilling by MPs about the collapse of his fashion chain USC.

During the last Parliament, the Scottish Affairs Select Committee wanted to question him about USC, which went bust and was then bought back debt-free by Sports Direct. But the lack of appetite by the new intake of MPs comes despite documents published by the previous panel showing that Sports Direct did not seek legal advice about its obligations to inform staff that they would lose their jobs.

A factory in Ayrshire was shut with the loss of 200 jobs. MPs on the old committee subjected Sports Direct’s chairman, Dr Keith Hellawell, to a brutal interrogation after Mr Ashley’s lawyers said he was too busy to attend.

A source said: “The committee has only just been formed, but [it has] had meetings to discuss what topics to investigate. Mike Ashley came up but the feeling was that he would just defer to his lawyers and not give many straight answers.”

Sports Direct declined to comment.