Ex-Tesco boss John Allan says he was ‘propelled under the nearest bus’ following misconduct allegations
Ex-Tesco boss John Allan said there was “absolutely no substance” to the allegations of misconduct against him, arguing he had not been treated fairly.
Since the misconduct allegations were made against him last month, Allan has left his role as chair of Tesco, where he served for eight years, and Barratt Developments, where he had been chair for nine years.
Speaking on the Sophie Ridge show, Allan said following the allegations the companies “felt they had to be seen to do something, and the easiest and simplest thing was to propel me under the nearest bus”.
Allan said that there needs to be more fairness for people who are accused of misconduct, saying “I don’t think I was particularly fairly treated”.
“I think it’s important because there are cases where people are inappropriately treated and I don’t think we should overlook that, but also fair to people who are accused, that there is some form of due process, some form of investigation, before judgments are made about them,” he said.
“Having crawled out from two successive buses and still standing, I’m going to plan over the next few months to talk to a lot of people who know a lot more about this than me to sort of see if we can devise a better way so the next person who is subject to this sort of allegation is more fairly treated,” he continued.
Allan, who was also chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), stands accused of four different accounts of inappropriate or unprofessional behaviour. The accusations were first reported in the Guardian.
Allan denies three of the allegations against him, including that he touched a woman’s bottom, and has “unreservedly apologised” for the fourth, which was commenting on a woman’s figure.
Tesco said it also found no evidence of wrongdoing.