Awkward moment Persimmon boss squirms then walks away when he is quizzed about furore over £75million bonus that was biggest in the country
The CEO of housebuilding company Persimmon walked away after being quizzed about his controversial £75million bonus.
Jeff Fairburn, chief executive of the firm, was originally due to receive a £100million kickback but took a £25million cut after an outcry from politicians and the public earlier this year.
Persimmon benefited greatly from the taxpayer-backed Help to Buy scheme which was introduced to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder.
When asked about his multi-million pound bonus, Mr Fairburn said it was 'unfortunate' the reporter had brought the issue up.
The clip begins with BBC reporter Spencer Stokes (right) saying: '[Persimmon] obviously have been doing well, have been doing well last year, that was reflected in your bonus. Do you have any regrets about the furore surrounding that?'
Spencer Stokes, Business and Transport Correspondent for BBC Look North in Yorkshire, posted the video on his Twitter page at 6.54pm yesterday.
The clip begins with Mr Stokes saying: '[Persimmon] obviously have been doing well, have been doing well last year, that was reflected in your bonus. Do you have any regrets about the furore surrounding that?'
Mr Fairburn begins to respond as someone off-camera says 'can we not?'
The CEO agrees with the interjection as the BBC reporter continues: 'Obviously, the construction and the bricks, you know, follows on from how well Persimmon is doing so I just thought it should be tied together really.'
