Sports Direct boss Ashley refuse to face parliamentary questions

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has confirmed that he will refuse to attend questioning from a parliamentary business committee, despite being threatened with a charge of contempt of parliament.

The all-party business, innovation and skills (BIS) committee has formally summoned Ashley to face questioning on 7 June at Westminster over Sports Direct's use of zero-hours contracts and allegations about harsh conditions imposed on warehouse staff.

But Ashley said on Monday that his intention was not to attend as he believes the proposal by BIS committee chairman Iain Wright MP "is an abuse of the parliamentary process".

Speaking to Sky News, Ashley said: "I therefore intend to challenge the attendance order issued by the BIS committee and I will be sending a formal reply to the committee in due course."

In his letter to Ashley on 9 March, Wright told the sports equipment company chief he could be cited with contempt of parliament if he failed to appear before MPs.

There is no clear-cut sanction for those found guilty of the charge, according to the House of Commons Information Office, though parliamentary laws say that 'strangers', or those who are not MPs, who are found in contempt of parliament can be committed to prison.

Wright's letter also set a deadline of 1 June for Ashley to agree to attend on one of the dates offered, or suggest a mutually convenient alternative, otherwise "the committee reserves the right to take the matter further, including seeking the support of the House of Commons in respect of any complaint of contempt”.

While Ashley has offered to meet the BIS committee privately at Sports Direct’s headquarters in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, Wright has declined “in line with select committees’ commitment to transparency”.

It has not been a good month for the media-shy owner of the "pile-it-high-sell-it-cheap" retailer, whose efforts to remain under the radar saw journalists banned from attending September's annual shareholder meeting.

The company has been booted out of the FTSE 100 index as investors have wiped £1.6bn from its value since the autumn investigation by the Guardian newspaper into working conditions was followed by a profit warning in the new year.