MPs name Sir Philip Green's old adversaries to BHS inquiry

Labour MP Frank Field, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, has asked two of Sir Philip Green's former rivals, Lord Myners and Sir David Norgrove, to assist the parliamentary investigation instigated looking into BHS's fall into administration.

Lord Myners, who previously battled against Sir Philip Green's 10 billion pound bid to take over Marks & Spencer as chairman of the department store group between 2004 and 2006, is set to lead a panel of financial assessors for the committee. He previously filed 11 questions in the House of Lords, which called on the government to examine the collapse of BHS. Sir David Norgrove, who was chairman of Marks & Spencer's pension fund at the time Sir Green made a bid for the retailer, has been named special adviser.

The appointments come after Sir Green issued a letter in response to Field's and Iain Wright MP, chairman of the Business Committee, invitation to stand and give evidence into the collapse of the high street retailer. In his letter, Sir Green accuses both MPs of "leaping to conclusions" in regards to his behaviour the timeframe he owner BHS. The Topshop owner suggests that Wright and Field have been influenced by "much inaccurate and misleading information" in concern to his action in relation to BHS and have already come to verdict "before any evidence from any witness has been heard."

Sir Green's comments in the letter, as seen by FashionUnited, are the first he has made since BHS entered in administration on April 25. The billionaire entrepreneur previously confirmed earlier this week that he is willing to appear before both committees, adding in his letter: "I welcome the opportunity to assist inquiries by your committees that are genuinely intended to get to the truth in a fair and balanced way on the basis of actual facts."

The dispute between Field and Sir Green first began on Thursday, when Field implied that the Topshop owner should lose his knighthood if he did not offer the funds to pay off BHS's 571 million pounds pension fund deficit. Field appears to be unmoved by Sir Green's response, as a spokesman revealed to the The Telegraph: "Given that Parliament is likely to be flooded with public campaigns on this matter, Frank believes an offer to pay back the 571 million pounds would represent a way for Sir Philip to pre-empt such a campaign."