(Adds quote from business minister)
By Estelle Shirbon
LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Embattled British retailer SportsDirect was forced to defend itself on Tuesday afterlawmakers complained of an attempt to spy on them during anunannounced visit to a warehouse that has been slated for poorworking conditions.
Anna Turley, a Member of Parliament (MP) who took part inthe group visit to the Shirebrook warehouse on Monday, said awoman who had brought them a tray of sandwiches had placed acamera and recording device on the floor underneath.
The bizarre incident was the latest in a series of publicrelations disasters for Sports Direct, a 450-store sportswearchain whose working conditions have been likened by media andpoliticians to those of a Victorian workhouse.
"I find it extraordinary what was reported this morning,especially for a company that has made declarations that itwants to improve its reputation and its image," businessminister Greg Clark told parliament.
Sports Direct said its board had not authorised the use of arecording device and had no knowledge of the incident.
"The Board is disappointed that reporting of a possiblerecording device (the veracity of which has yet to bedetermined) has overshadowed the truly important issues that thevisit should have focused on - the true working conditions andworker satisfaction at Shirebrook," it said in a statement.
Turley tweeted a picture which she said showed the tray ofsandwiches placed on a stool in a room where the lawmakers hadsat down for a private conversation at the end of their tour,and the camera on the floor under the stool.
"The poor woman who brought in a tray of sandwiches had totry & hide a camera under the table #bizarre," Turley tweeted.
Sky News, which filmed part of the lawmakers' surprise visitto the warehouse in Derbyshire, central England, showed footageof Turley confronting Gary Thompson, a Sports Direct spokesman,shortly after the incident.
"I've no idea, I've no knowledge of that," Thompson is heardsaying in the video. "I don't know what's happened there."
Turley responds: "It happened in front of my eyes."
"All the trust that was built up today ... was undone withthat, because how can we trust anything that you say or anythingthat we've seen when you ... get the sandwich lady to sneak acamera in?"
Thompson responds: "Well look, I don't know about thecamera, but you've been around the whole site for four hours,you've seen everything, isn't that the thing that matters toform a balanced view on the warehouse and the staff?"
Sports Direct's billionaire founder Mike Ashley, who wasrebuked by lawmakers over working practices at his business inJuly, responded to the incident in typically combative fashion.
"I stand firmly behind the people of Sports Direct, whothrough no fault of their own have been made a politicalfootball by MPs and unions," he said in a statement.
Sports Direct cut its profit forecast twice last month andhas seen its share price slump this year. It has admitted toshortcomings in its working practices and said it was addressingthem. (Editing by Stephen Addison)
