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Downing Street declined to support requests that Sir Philip Green be stripped of his title of Knight of Sexual Harassment and Charges of Stalking, claiming that it was a matter of fact. an independent problem.
After Peter Hain used parliamentary privilege in the House of Lords to name Green as a mystery character at the center of allegations, MPs and others called for the removal of the title. However, a spokesman said Downing Street did not have the power to make that decision.
The spokesman said Friday that the independent body responsible for these issues "was constantly reviewing evidence on issues like this," adding that the prime minister had clearly stated that "moral harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace were illegal, behavior can not be tolerated ".
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable was among those who called for Green to lose his honor. "He narrowly escaped victory and was lucky enough to lose his knighthood after the pension scandal," he said, citing the unusual decision made by the House of Commons two years ago. support a motion that his knighthood be removed as a result of the BHS collapse. "If these allegations are correct, he should certainly be stripped of his knighthood."
Other MPs who supported the call included Frank Field and Jess Phillips.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined calls for Mr Green's dismissal when it was proved that the businessman had signed a confidentiality agreement aimed at stifling accusations. moral and sexual harassment. Sending to Brussels, Khan said: "You play knights for those who have served our community and our society. But I think that in the same way that you reward good behavior, I think you should punish bad behavior. "
Former RBS General Manager Fred Goodwin and former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe have already lost their honors.
All these decisions are made by the independent committee for the confiscation of honorary awards – an ad hoc body headed by a senior official. They must conclude that an individual "discredits the honors system" before withdrawing a title.
Lord Hain defended his decision to name Green on Thursday. The former Labor Cabinet minister said his decision to use parliamentary privilege to bypass the courts was "the right thing to do".
"I looked at it very seriously before I said it," said Hain, who has been criticized by some lawyers for his actions. "I fulfill my parliamentary duties. What worried me in this case was the wealth and the power that flows from it, as well as the abuse. "
Hain told BBC Two'snight, "It's up to members of the public and others to judge whether I was right or wrong. It is useless to be there if you never give up on this situation and do not deploy the precious privilege of parliamentary privilege, which must be used with extreme caution and with irreproachable integrity. "
Hugh Tomlinson QC, founder of the Hacked Off campaign for press reform, told BBC Radio 4 that the decision to name Green in contempt of the courts was "totally inappropriate", given that the injunction does not apply. was a temporary restriction in the expectation of a full trial. The story of the Daily Telegraph was in the public interest.
"Parliament can not encroach on the courts and tell them that we think the courts were wrong," he said. "That's what Lord Hain is doing."
Dominic Grieve, Conservative MP and former Attorney General, also criticized Hain.
"It was a totally arrogant decision that totally ignored the judicial process or the rule of law," he told BBC World at One. "Parliamentary privilege is very important, but like any extremely important power, it is subject to abuse. On this subject, I do not see that Peter Hain can say that he did not abuse it. "
Green was named after the Telegraph said it had been barred by the courts from declaring that it had been the subject of allegations of "reprehensible conduct" brought by five employees. According to the newspaper, the newspaper reported allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and racial abuse.
The paper said that allegations that Green used non-disclosure agreements to limit coverage "would revive the #MeToo movement against the mistreatment of women, minorities and others by powerful employers." ".
Green, suspected of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the injunction, denied the allegations of wrongdoing, claiming: "To the extent that it seems like I'm guilty of sexual behavior or illegal racist, I categorically and completely deny these allegations. "
The courts are not empowered to restrict the coverage of Parliament's activities, which means that if a member or a peer speaks in the House, the media can report it. Politicians have already used this right to weaken the reporting restrictions on the Trafigura oil trading and identify footballer Ryan Giggs, who had subscribed a superinjunction.
Green was knighted in 2006 by Tony Blair's Labor government for "services to the retail sector". But his honor has been closely scrutinized by his tax regime (most of the companies he runs are owned by his Monegasque wife, Tina) and by his decision to sell British Home Stores shortly before it was sold. collapse with a substantial retirement deficit.
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