The Sports Direct tea lady and a bizarre bid to bug MPs
Listening device ‘smuggled in with a tray of sandwiches’
SHAMED retailer Sports Direct was caught trying to bug a private conversation between MPs by planting a camera near a tray of sandwiches at its warehouse.
The store was yesterday accused of trying to spy on six members of the business select committee, who made a surprise visit to its Derbyshire site to inspect working conditions.
The trip aimed to check whether the firm and its boss Mike Ashley had fixed the poor working practices laid bare in a damning report this summer.
But in a ‘disgraceful’ act, an employee was caught sneaking a camera and microphone into the meeting room where the MPs had gathered to discuss their findings.
When confronted with the device, Sports Direct staff claimed it must have already been in the room – with Mr Ashley even suggesting the MPs had planted it themselves, according to committee chairman Iain Wright.
The committee is now considering hauling billionaire Mr Ashley before MPs again, and last night raised the prospect of a criminal probe into the incident.
It is understood the MPs gave Sports Direct just an hour’s notice of yesterday’s visit to the Shirebrook site.
After the inspection, they began discussing their findings in a meeting room, and a few minutes into their conversation a Sports Direct staff member brought in a box of crisps and placed it on the table.
A few moments later, she returned with a tray of sandwiches wrapped in clingfilm, which she placed on a grey footstool on the other side of the room.
The MPs then watched as she appeared to put something on the floor beneath the stool, before leaving the room. Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said: ‘I thought it was odd that she didn’t put the sandwiches on the table we were sat around, and instead put them in the corner of the room.’
The curious MP went over to see what the woman had placed on the floor. It was then she discovered a small camera with a microphone on the carpet. It appeared to be the same one staff had used to record questions the MPs had asked during the visit.
Miss Turley, who posted a picture of the device and the sandwiches on Twitter, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it. I watched her put the device on the floor and when she left I said “b **** y hell guys they are trying to record us”. It’s not James Bond, more Austin Powers. They wanted to know what was discussed about our trip. I was just really shocked, it is really unprofessional.’
The MPs then left the room to confront the Sports Direct managers. However, staff said they ‘didn’t know what we were talking about and the device could have been there before’, said Miss Turley, adding: ‘They were lying.’
Mr Wright then spoke on the phone to Mr Ashley, who repeated the claim that the female staff member had not placed the device. ‘I was put on the phone to Mr Ashley and he said “you must have planted it there”,’ said Mr Wright.
‘Then the PR said that it must have been there before from a previous meeting. But that is all nonsense and I said as much.’
The committee, who grilled Mr Ashley in June, is now calling for an explanation from Sports Direct over why it sought to record their meeting.
Miss Turley said: ‘I don’t know if there is anything illegal about it, but if it is illegal we will certainly want a criminal probe.’
Sports Direct last night failed to respond to requests for comment.
‘I couldn’t believe it’