Ashley owns Sports Direct. He hit out at Andy Burnham on Thursday. The row was about 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 pressed policies directed at supporting troubled high streets. Ashley rejected the stance. He said it was steered by politics instead of practical retail knowledge. The two are at odds. They are split on how or whether government intervention can reverse the slide of town centre shopping.