Philip Green Loses Legal Battle Over Use of Parliamentary Privilege

British retail tycoon Philip Green lost a legal case against the UK regarding parliamentary privilege used to reveal allegations of sexual harassment. He sued to prevent these allegations, leading to a legal battle at the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled against him.

Prominent British retail tycoon Philip Green has lost a crucial legal battle against the United Kingdom concerning the revelation of allegations against him through parliamentary privilege. The case dates back to 2018 when Green was publicly named by Labour politician Peter Hain despite having obtained an interim injunction to prevent their publication.

Using parliamentary privilege, which permits unfettered speech by parliament members and protects media from defamation suits, Hain identified Green, sparking controversy and legal repercussions. Green took the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming the use of parliamentary privilege violated his right to privacy as it overruled the injunction he had secured against the Telegraph newspaper.

This Tuesday, the ECHR made a decisive ruling against Philip Green, reinforcing the boundaries of parliamentary privilege and leaving the retail magnate with no further legal recourse in this matter.

(With inputs from agencies.)