John Towers (businessman) Industry Corporation (SAIC). Towers was heavily criticised for his role in the company's demise, and the Phoenix Consortium's conduct relating to Rover Group was initially referred to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), although after initial investigations the SFO concluded that no further action would be taken. Following publication of a government report into the failure of MG Rover, Towers - along with the other directors of Phoenix - have been disqualified from holding any company office in the United Kingdom or have undertaken not to do so. Towers, together with the other members of PVH, ran MG Rover into the
Phoenix Venture Holdings bid when the Government added extra conditions to the sale, and a march through Birmingham led by Prof Carl Chinn opposed the Alchemy bid. On 6 April 2000, John Towers — the most prominent of the four men known as the Phoenix consortium — presented a counter-offer to BMW. The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G), the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the British public in general all threw their support behind Towers and the Phoenix Consortium, as Phoenix were the only potential bidders proposing to retain high-volume car production and full employment at the Rover plant