Ashley lectures MPs: I'm not Father Christmas, it's not my fault high street dies!

Controversial retail tycoon Mike Ashley, owner of Sports Direct and House of Fraser, says he is "not Father Christmas" in a combative appearance before Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom.

Ashley attempted to face down his critics in a combative performance before MPs, declaring: "It's not my fault the high street is dying."

Mr Ashley, whose Sports Direct empire swallowed up failed department store chain House of Fraser earlier this year, also warned that he was "not Father Christmas".

But he did say that he was attempting the "godlike" feat of saving 80% of House of Fraser stores while also offering policymakers a prescription to save the wider retail sector.

Mr Ashley's takeover of the 169-year-old House of Fraser chain saved it from administration but has still left the future of thousands of staff in doubt as the billionaire tycoon seeks to slash store rents, in many cases by around half, to keep them afloat.

Suppliers, pensioners, and customers have also been left out of pocket after the pre-pack administration process meant it was left free of liabilities for its new owners.

But Mr Ashley bristled at attempts to present him as a villain as he also batted off controversy about zero-hours contracts - which he said many workers prefer.

"I'm not sitting in my office stroking a white cat," he told MPs on the housing, communities and local government select committee.

The tycoon argued that the retail sector was already on its knees, offering a bleak picture of the future if radical action was not taken - and laying the blame for the gloom squarely on the rise of online retail.

Pressed on whether he would try to keep all 59 House of Fraser stores open, he angrily responded that he had "never, never, never" pledged to do that and indicated that while he was trying to keep open as many as he could, it would be impossible to retain all of them.

"What person could keep 59 stores open, besides God?" he said. "Even keeping 80% of stores open would be a god-like performance."

Mr Ashley insisted that House of Fraser would have to change to survive, ditching "prehistoric" business practices and changing store opening hours - and also floated the idea of working more closely with Debenhams.

In an eye-catching performance, the man behind Sports Direct has unveiled a new plan to tackle Britain’s high street -- a tax on web retailers, to encourage them to keep high bricks-and-mortar outlets running too.

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Under Ashley’s plan, any retailer which did more than 20% of its business online would be hit by the tax.

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