Philip Green loses court case against UK's parliamentary privilege rules

The retail tycoon Sir Philip Green has lost a legal case against the UK government after complaining about being publicly named in the House of Lords as facing misconduct allegations.

- Simon Goodley

The case, which was said to be a test of the concept of parliamentary privilege, was brought after Peter Hain announced in the House of Lords in 2018 that Green had used the courts to obtain an interim injunction against the Telegraph to stop publication of the allegations.

Parliamentary privilege allows members to speak freely and their comments to be reported without the fear of being sued.

Yesterday, the European court of human rights (ECHR) ruled against the Monaco-based businessman, who had alleged that lack of controls on the use of parliamentary privilege breached his right to privacy.

Lawyers for Green, the former chair of the then Topshop owner Arcadia, had argued that the UK, as a member of the ECHR, must ensure that parliamentary privilege was not used to circumvent court orders.