Ashley owns Sports Direct. He hit out at Andy Burnham on Thursday. The row was over plans to revive the UK high street. Ashley labelled those proposals populist and delusional. He stated they would be disastrous for retail.
Burnham is the Mayor of Greater Manchester. He has advanced policies aimed at supporting ailing high streets. Ashley rebuffed the approach. He said it was driven by politics rather than direct retail knowledge. The two are at loggerheads. They disagree on how or whether government involvement can stop the slide of town centre shopping.