Ashley owns Sports Direct. He went after Andy Burnham on Thursday. The clash was over plans to revive the UK high street. Ashley labelled those proposals populist and delusional. He said they would be disastrous for retail.
Burnham is the Mayor of Greater Manchester. He has advanced policies directed at aiding troubled high streets. Ashley rejected the stance. He said it was shaped by politics instead of practical retail knowledge. The two are in a feud. They differ on how or whether government action can stop the decline of town centre shopping.