Lord Hain forbids Sir Philip Green to be named for harassment complaints

Lord Hain defended the idea of ​​naming Sir Philip Green as a businessman, a newspaper accused of sexual and racial harassment, claiming that it was the "right thing to do."

A court injunction prevented the Daily Telegraph from identifying the retail mogul, but the peer used parliamentary privilege to name him in the lords.

A lawyer said Lord Hain's conduct was "completely inappropriate".

Sir Philip claims to have "categorically and totally" denied the allegations.

At the same time, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable called on Sir Philip to lose his knighthood if the allegations were substantiated.

How did Lord Hain explain his actions?

The interim order of the Court of Appeals prohibiting the appointment of Sir Philip remains in effect, but making his statement before the House of Lords on Thursday, Lord Hain stated that he "believed that he was his duty "to identify the boss of Topshop and that it was public. interest.

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He stated that he was contacted by a person "intimately involved in the case" and saw the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to conceal the truth about repeated and serious sexual harassment. , racist abuse and harassment ", he felt that he should talk. outside.

Parliamentary privilege protects members of Parliament and peers against the prosecution of statements made in the House of Commons or in Lords. It is one of the oldest rights in British legislation.

Sir Philip Green appointed for harassment complaints

Speaking later on BBC Newsnight, Lord Hain denied having interfered with a court decision, saying: "I looked at the issue very seriously before pronouncing it."

"I do not dispute the judges' responsibilities, nor their timing, nor anything like that, it's a matter for the judiciary," he said.

"I'm just fulfilling my duties as a parliamentarian – and what concerned me in this matter was wealth, the power that comes with it, and the abuse.

"And that's what brought me to act as I did."

Lord Hain said his decision on social media was criticized, but that he had received "overwhelming support, especially from women."

What was the reaction?

Labor MP Jess Phillips said Lord Hain "made the right choice, he was brave and I doubt he made the decision lightly."

But attorney Hugh Tomlinson QC told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight program that the courts were the "appropriate institutions" to decide the issues raised in this case.

Mr Tomlinson, one of the founders of the Hacked Off press campaign, said: "Parliament can not infiltrate the courts and say that we think the courts were wrong – and that's what Lord Hain is doing. "

Former Labor Interior Minister Alan Johnson also questioned Lord Hain's actions, saying the BBC needed to have a very good motive for a parliamentarian violates the decision of three high-ranking judges who had seen the evidence.

What were the allegations in the Telegraph?

The newspaper reported that interviews with five staff members revealed that the victims had been paid "substantial sums" in exchange for legal commitments not to discuss their alleged experiences.

The BBC has not been able to verify the allegations contained in the Telegraph's report.

What does Sir Philip say?

Sir Philip said in a statement Thursday night that he would not comment on anything that happened in court or that was told in Parliament.

"To the extent that it is suggested that I am guilty of illegal sexual or racist behavior, I categorically and completely deny these allegations," he said.

Sir Philip said his company, Arcadia, "takes the accusations and grievances of its employees very seriously and, if necessary, a thorough investigation is underway.

"Arcadia employs more than 20,000 people and, like many large companies, sometimes receives formal complaints from its employees.

"In some cases, these are settled with the agreement of all parties and their legal advisers.These regulations are confidential and I can not say any more."

Who is Sir Philip Green?

Sir Philip Green has built a fortune from an empire of retail including Topshop, BHS, Burton and Miss Selfridge.

His loss of grace came after BHS, the chain store that he sold in March 2015 for £ 1, went into administration, leaving a £ 571 million hole in his pension fund .

In 2016, a damning report from MPs revealed that Sir Philip had extracted large amounts of money from BHS and had left the company under surveillance.

Sir Philip was called to lose his knighthood at the time.

He then agreed to a £ 363 million cash settlement with the pension regulator to fill the gap.

• Profile of Sir Philip Green

Why was Lord Hain's intervention unexpected?

By Clive Coleman, Legal Correspondent of the BBC

People will remember the super-injunction stories of recent years, including the case of footballer Ryan Giggs. When he was appointed under a parliamentary privilege, this was frowned upon.

Parliamentarians and the judiciary were very concerned that this privilege should not be used to undermine the rule of law.

And a great effort has been made since then to ensure that this does not happen again.

It is therefore unlikely that the judiciary will be satisfied.

We have no constitutional crisis on us, but we are seeing a very important development in the use of parliamentary privilege over judicial decisions.