Dave Gill - Usdaw National Officer says: “We hope that the various allegations made in today’s select committee hearing do not divert attention away from finding a suitable buyer for the business, even at this late stage.

“Whilst former and current senior people from BHS engage in a round of finger pointing, the 11,000 staff are staring down the barrel of a gun, facing unemployment in the next few weeks.

“We know there are very serious questions that need to be answered about the past, but I am urging the administrators to redouble their efforts to find a buyer, it’s the very least that the long-serving and loyal BHS staff deserve. In the meantime we are providing the support and advice our members in BHS require at this very difficult time.”

Notes for editors:

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fourth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 440,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the Union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.

For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion