Ashley tells court: I am a power drinker, he’s lightweight

MIKE ASHLEY has told the High Court that he is a “power drinker” while the investment banker suing him for £14million is a “lightweight”.

The Sports Direct boss said that he liked a drink and although he did not indulge often, when he did he was “trying to get drunk”.

Mr Ashley was giving evidence yesterday after being sued by Jeffrey Blue, an investment banker, who alleges he reneged on a deal made in a pub to pay him £15 million if the share price of Sports Direct doubled to £8 within three years. He says Mr Ashley paid him only £1 million – and he wants £14 million damages.

The case centres on a promise Mr Blue claims Mr Ashley made in the Horse and Groom pub in Fitzrovia, London, in January 2013, but Mr Ashley, who also owns Newcastle United Football Club, has dismissed any such comments as drunken banter.

When asked how much he had drunk that night, he calculated that within an hour he would have drunk four to five pints. “It was a fun evening – drinking at pace,” he said. “I like to get drunk. I am a power drinker.”

The court has heard lurid claims of his drinking at business meetings at pub “lock-ins” and casinos.

He added: “My thing is not to drink regularly. It is binge-drinking. I am trying to get drunk.” He said he had been trying to “get p----- and have a good night out” at the Horse and Groom.

Mr Ashley was asked how much Mr Blue had drunk. “He would never have been able to keep up,” said Mr Ashley. “He’s a lightweight when it comes to drinking.”

He suggested that he had difficulty remembering the evening because he did not spend his life looking back.

The case continues.