Green doesn’t deserve his knighthood says minister

PHILIP Green is not worthy of his knighthood, a minister suggested last night.

Margot James said there was ‘a real possibility’ of the Topshop boss losing his honour because of the serious nature of the allegations made against him by former staff.

The Government is under pressure to ask the forfeiture committee to examine whether the billionaire should be stripped of his title, which was awarded by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2006.

Miss James said: ‘I feel he is not worthy of a knighthood. The way he’s tried to pay people off instead of being held to account sounds like a cover for gross misconduct. That, on top of the pensions debacle and sale of BHS, all adds up to a situation where I imagine the forfeiture of his knighthood must be a real possibility.’

Frank Field, who chairs the Commons work and pensions committee, said it was ‘surely time’ to reconsider Sir Philip’s knighthood. The tycoon is accused of sexual harassment and racial abuse of staff, who received up to £1million in payments provided they signed non-disclosure agreements.

Sir Philip denies allegations he behaved wrongly. His lawyers have said that he is a ‘passionate businessman, who can at times be over-exuberant and hot-headed’.