‘Cruel, self-serving b*****d’: Conran feud goes nuclear

THE WAR of words between Habitat founder Sir Terence Conran and design guru Stephen Bayley has taken another intemperate twist. Just weeks after Conran, 86, accused his former colleague of being ‘bitter’ and having ‘ a very large ego’, Bayley has now hit back, calling him ‘a self- serving, selfmythologising b*****d’.

The pair co-founded the Design Museum, but fell out over its direction nearly 30 years ago.

Their epic feud was reignited after Bayley recently tried to write a book about his former friend, but Conran took legal action to prevent its publication. ‘I spent a lot of time writing this book, but I’m afraid his reaction to it is evidence of his ego,’ says Bayley, 66.

‘The book is full of affection and respect which I still have for him; massive affection. Terence is uncomfortable with the truth. ‘He has had a magnificent career which has

benefited all of us by his inventiveness and his belief in making life better for everyone, which I was always enchanted by and will remain enchanted by. ‘But he can also be a complete and utter b*****d. Terence has got a cruel aspect which is a mile wide.

‘The fact is Terence has p****d off every single person who has ever worked with him — he’s either sued them or sacked them.’

Bayley assures me Sir Terence would benefit from opening up more emotionally.

‘ He’s incapable of showing affection. He’s not autistic; he’s not as interesting as that.

‘He used to say: “You couldn’t organise a p***-up in a brewery. You’re a bad manager.” He could have been saying those things about himself.

‘My ego is a pygmy to Terence’s Goliath, it really, really is.

‘I actually showed him the manuscript and he said: “You must write about me, Stephen, you must.”

‘So I did. I said: “If there’s anything in here that you think is wrong, tell me and I’ll correct it.” But he just stopped it.’

Bayley even impugns Conran’s verbal fluidity.

‘Terence also suffers from a small vocabulary,’ he adds.