Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley attacks Burnham's 'populist' High Street plans.

Billionaire Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has criticised recent cost of living and retail policies from Andy Burnham as "populist reactions". In a letter to the prime minister, the entrepreneur accused him of "jumping on 'everyday fixes' or bandwagons", while "disastrous" business rates policies and increases to the cost of employing workers were causing businesses to struggle. He also described a previous proposal of increasing business rates on large warehouses to help reduce them for pubs and clubs as "delusional". A Downing Street spokesperson said Burnham would "build a new economy that backs British business, delivers growth in every postcode and ensures the essentials in life - like energy, water and housing - are affordable again." Promises including cutting VAT from household electricity bills and reducing business rates for some firms is "just the start", they added. Earlier this month, Burnham promised to revitalise Britain's "hollowed out" high streets by helping councils block new vaping and betting shops . He also brought forward a plan to end subscription traps and ban shops using misleading recommended retail prices, which can make it seem like discounts are larger than they really are. In Ashley's letter, seen by the BBC and first reported by the Financial Times, , external he hit out at announcements made since Burnham succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister. The businessman called on Burnham to use his first Budget, scheduled for 27 October, to lower costs for employers and change the government's position on business rates. Pubs, social clubs and live music venues will get a 20% business rates cut from April, while a review has been launched into how the tax, which high street firms have long called for reform to, is calculated. In 2016, Ashley admitted to MPs that workers at his Derbyshire warehouse had been paid below the minimum wage and a policy of fining staff for being late was unacceptable.