Sports Direct boss tells court he is a ‘power drinker’

Photo of Mike Ashley courtesy of Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has told the High Court that he is a “power drinker”.

Giving evidence for a second day over a £14m legal claim against him by investmentment banker Jeffrey Blue, Ashley described investment banker Jeffrey Blue’s claim that if he managed to double Sports Direct’s share price he would receive £15m as “nonsense”, referring to him as “that liar”.

A lawyer representing Blue asked Ashley how much he’d drunk during a meeting in a London pub when the alledged deal was done four years ago.

Ashley told the court that he thinks he would’ve drank four to five pints in the first hour, adding: “It was a fun evening – drinking at pace. I like to get drunk. I am a power drinker.”

He added: “My thing is not to drink regularly. It is binge-drinking. I am trying to get drunk.”

When asked how much Blue would’ve drunk, Ashley said: “He would never have been able to keep up. He’s a lightweight when it comes to drinking.”

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