Politics · 28 August 2026

Mike Ashley calls Burnham's High Street plans "populist"

Johnvedwards via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Mike Ashley, who founded Sports Direct, expressed criticism of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's recent retail policies in a letter to him, labelling them as "populist reactions". Ashley said "disastrous" business rates and rising employment costs are hurting businesses, calling a plan to tax warehouses more to cut rates for pubs "delusional".

By BriefTea Editorial · 28 August 2026 at 4:55

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What does 'populist' mean? What are business rates? Why tax warehouses more?

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