Well-known British businessman Sir Philip Green has been accused of sexual and racial harassment and named in the UK Parliament as the individual at the centre of a #MeToo scandal that has been subject to a gagging order by British courts.
Green is the chairman of Arcadia group whose retail portfolio includes TopShop, BHS, Burton and Miss Selfridge.
Lord Peter Hain, who is a Labour politician, named the businessman after a leading newspaper was prevented from doing so by a court order obtained by Green.
Hain said, “I feel it’s my duty under parliamentary privilege to name Philip Green as the individual in question, given that the media has been subject to an injunction preventing publication of the full details of this story, which is clearly in the public interest.”
According to a media report, the publication spent eight months investigating allegations of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment made against Green but was forced to keep silent about his identity because of a court order.
Green has “categorically and wholly” denied all the allegations against him. He said in a statement, “To the extent that it is suggested that I have been guilty of unlawful sexual or racist behaviour, I categorically and wholly deny these allegations.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said that Sir Philip “should certainly be stripped of his knighthood” if the allegations were proved to be correct.
The case has ignited a fresh debate around the use of no-disclosure agreements to silence the victims of harassment in the UK. Prime Minister Theresa May criticised the “unethical” use of the agreements, telling MPs that it was clear that some employers were misusing the agreements.
The allegations emerged after a newspaper gave its entire front page to a story headlined, “The British #MeToo scandal which cannot be revealed”, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, analysts asserted that although the claims were unproven, they could be “highly damaging for both Green and the various retail businesses he owns”.
According to Forbes, Green has an estimated net worth of about US $ 4.5 billion and Arcadia Group earns about US $ 2.4 billion annually.
