Don't call me a banker, says 'Fred the Shred'

Royal Bank of Scotland’s former boss Sir Fred Goodwin has obtained a super-injunction banning newspapers from calling him a banker, according to the Press Association.

Although super-injunctions are, by their nature, granted in secrecy and unreportable, Goodwin was ‘outed’ in the House of Commons by Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming, using parliamentary privilege.

However, while newspapers reported that Goodwin had sought a super-injunction, they did not say what it was in connection with.

Instead, the Telegraph, for example, reported that rumours were rife on the internet. The Telegraph said that the terms of the injunction were so strict that it could not disclose any details.

The Mail reported that the injunction was to do with matters that Goodwin wished to keep secret.

But according to the Press Association, Hemming told MPs: “In a secret hearing, Fred Goodwin has obtained a super-injunction preventing him being identified as a banker."

He said MPs should debate the increasing use of super-injunctions by the rich and famous.

Goodwin presided over the near-collapse of RBS, which needed a £20bn bail-out by the taxpayer. He retired with an annual pension of £703,000, which was later reduced to £342,000. He also received a lump sum of almost £3m.