He is understood to have decided to leave prematurely at the request of the board which decided it was in the best interests of Barratt to accelerate the planned transition to the new chair to prevent the ongoing impact of the allegations against Alan from becoming disruptive to the house builder.

John Allan, who earlier this month admitted making an inappropriate comment to a Confederation of British Industry staff member, announced last week he would be standing down from his position as chair of Tesco in the wake of further allegations that he denies.

Barratt said it had not received any complaints about Allan during his tenure at the firm.

Jock Lennox, senior independent director, said: “The Board is grateful to John for his nine years of service to Barratt. He leaves the company in a strong financial and operational position, continuing to perform well in challenging market conditions.”