Former Tesco chairman John Allan – who was forced to step down after misconduct allegations were made against him – has insisted he is “completely innocent”.

In his first broadcast interview since the controversy erupted with Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, the 74-year-old said there was “absolutely no substance” in the claims about his behaviour.

Having also been requested to prematurely leave his post chairing housebuilder Barratt Developments, Mr Allan said the companies had taken the decision to “propel me under the nearest bus”.

However, he did admit to one of the complaints that he had made reference to a woman’s figure at a CBI conference.

Mr Allan said: “I put my hand up for that one. I apologised immediately at the time unreservedly.”

Tackled over the other claims levelled against him by Ridge, he said: “There’s absolutely no substance in any of these allegations. I am completely innocent.”

He said: “I think companies actually feel under a lot of pressure when this sort of thing happens.

“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 still standing, I’m going to plan over the next few months to talk to a lot of people who know a lot more about this than me to sort of see if we can devise a better way so the next person who is subject to this sort of allegation is more fairly treated.”

He added: “I don’t think I was particularly fairly treated.”

Pressed over the one allegation he acknowledged about commenting on a woman’s figure, Mr Allan said: “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 think if I had stopped by saying ‘that’s a very nice dress, it suits you very well’ I might not have gotten myself into the difficulties that I have, but 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.”