Sports Direct chair survives ousting vote

The embattled chairman of British retailer Sports Direct survived a vote to oust him by a slim margin, after he said he would resign if a majority of independent shareholders voted against him for a third time.

Investors have blamed Keith Hellawell for a string of management and governance failures at Sports Direct and accuse him of being unable to control Mike Ashley — the retailer’s billionaire founder, chief executive and 61% shareholder.

Mr Hellawell, a former police chief constable and government drugs czar who has chaired Sports Direct for eight years, received the backing of just over 53.2% of votes cast by the company’s independent investors at its annual general meeting.