Back to the Poundland debate in the British parliament, where the retailer’s owner Gordon Brothers was described as “private equity vultures”. MPs called on the government to step in to prevent asset strippers cashing in on high street businesses. Antonia Bance, Labour MP for Tipton and Wednesbury, told business minister Kate Dearden earlier: And I wanted to ask the minister if it emerges that a viable bid to keep Poundland intact was blocked, putting 12,000 jobs at risk, what specific powers will the Secretary of State use to hold [Poundland owner] Gordon Brothers to account, and will she now establish an urgent review of whether our corporate governance and insolvency frameworks give sufficient protection against asset stripping and short term financial engineering at the cost of jobs and our high streets? Dearden responded: It’s absolutely legitimate for the government to be asking the business that they are doing everything they can to protect employees and suppliers. Ownership bri