Ashley owns Sports Direct. He went after Andy Burnham on Thursday. The row 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 pushed policies aimed at supporting struggling high streets. Ashley dismissed the strategy. He said it was shaped by politics instead of practical retail knowledge. The two are at odds. They are split on how or whether government action can stop the slump of town centre shopping.