Since then Ashley, owner and founder of Sports Direct, has consistently reiterated an invitation to MPs to inspect the site, along with “all forms of media”.
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In his first public interview since a feud with the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills committee began, Ashley said that he had nothing to hide, and was “not willing to stand idle while this company is subjected to public vilification”.
However, he has told Sky News he intends to challenge the formal order to appear before MPs which he slammed as an “abuse of the Parliamentary process”.
“It’s disappointing because I personally want to win every game for Newcastle United”, said Ashley, who has spent more than £82m on new players this season.
“If they genuinely cared, they would genuinely come here to see it for themselves”.
At the same time, Ashley has always been infamous for refusing to show his face around legal proceedings to do with Sports Direct. In 2015 when asked to appear before the Scottish Affairs Select Committee he instead sent his chairman, who failed to provide satisfactory answers when questioned about Sports Direct’s business practices.
Mr Ashley reiterated an offer made to the committee that representatives could come and visit the warehouse in Shirebrook and accused them of “showboating”. “You will have to apologise once you’ve been here”.
It added there were now no workers on “zero hours” contracts at its Derbyshire warehouse – but said such agreements were in place at its stores.
“They clearly don’t care about the people at Sports Direct, “Ashley continued”.
“In my opinion, they are just showboating”.
The company was also accused of paying staff below minimum wage in December after a Guardian article alleged it searched staff for around 15 minutes after they left work, time which they weren’t paid for.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has insisted that he will not walk away from the club even if they are relegated from the Premier League this season.
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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.
