Former Tesco chairman John Allan - who was compelled to step down after misconduct allegations had been made in opposition to him - has insisted he's "completely innocent".

In his first broadcast interview for the reason that controversy erupted with Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, the 74-year-old stated there was "absolutely no substance" within the claims about his behaviour.

Having additionally been requested to prematurely go away his put up chairing housebuilder Barratt Developments, Mr Allan stated the businesses had taken the choice to "propel me under the nearest bus".

However, he did admit to one of many complaints that he had made reference to a girl's determine at a CBI convention.

Mr Allan stated: "I put my hand up for that one. I apologised immediately at the time unreservedly."

Tackled over the opposite claims levelled in opposition to him by Ridge, he stated: "There's absolutely no substance in any of these allegations. I am completely innocent."

He stated: "I feel corporations truly really feel below loads of stress when this type of factor occurs.

"I think in my particular case, I think the companies that I was chair of while saying lots of nice things about all the amazing things I've done for them over the eight or nine years I've been involved with them, frankly felt they had to be seen to be to do something, and the simplest and easiest thing was to propel me under the nearest bus.

"Now, having crawled out from two successive buses and nonetheless standing, I'm going to plan over the subsequent few months to speak to lots of people who know much more about this than me to type of see if we will devise a greater manner so the subsequent one who is topic to this type of allegation is extra pretty handled."

He added: "I don't think I was particularly fairly treated."

Pressed over the one allegation he acknowledged about commenting on a girl's figures, Mr Allan stated: "Well, I thought she was looking a bit sort of miserable and I wish to heck I had never used the word figure now and I never will again.

"I feel if I had stopped by saying 'that is a really good costume, it fits you very nicely' I won't have gotten myself into the difficulties that I've, nevertheless it was well-intentioned, it was my intention to cheer her up.

"Obviously it was an ill-judged remark, it had the reverse thing. Having said that, I've talked to many women I know since then and most of them are absolutely incredulous about how somebody could be as upset as this lady appears to have been with with what I said."