Sir John Major is to hold “peace talks” with the head of the Marylebone Cricket Club after a public row over abandoned plans for a £400 million redevelopment of Lord’s cricket ground.
The former Prime Minister, who backed the scheme, has accused the MCC of “traducing” his reputation by suggesting he believed cash was more important than Lord’s.
Cricket-lover Sir John resigned from the MCC’s ruling committee in December after it voted to drop the plan for residential tower blocks on adjacent land owned by the club.
In a letter to 10,000 MCC members last month, club president Phillip Hodson said the committee rejected redevelopment because “preservation of Lord’s as a cricket ground was more important than a windfall of cash” and this stance led to Sir John’s departure. But in a letter to Mr Hodson, Sir John said he quit over the way the decision was reached.
