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You're hired, Sugar to advise on enterprise from lords
The tables were turned on Sir Alan Sugar today as The Apprentice hard man was told “you're hired!” by Gordon Brown.
Britain's best known business leader - eclipsing even Sir Richard Branson over recent years - will take on a key role advising on enterprise from the House of Lords.
The appointment is expected to be the star move in a “death or glory” reshuffle of the Prime Minister's embattled Government team.
It comes days before the climax of series five of the so called “job interview from hell” when the reality show hirer and firer will have to choose between the last two candidates, Yasmina Siadatan and Kate Walsh.
But the elevation of Sir Alan - as he is universally known by Apprentice contestants and fans alike - could create a potential nightmare for the BBC.
Even if the 62 year entrepreneur is allowed to carry on in his wildly successful role at TV business's finger pointing bully-in-chief, it remains to be seen whether his new moniker - Lord Sugar, or perhaps Lord Brentwood - will trip off the nation's tongue as successfully as “Suralan.”
Apprentice bloggers were today already suggesting “Czar Alan” as a possible compromise.
Today's appointment, which follows several days of negotiation including a trip to Downing Street durting yesterday's political turmoil, marks the completion of a long journey for the Hackney born tycoon.
The son of an East End tailor he spent most of his adult life as Conservative with a particularly strong admiration for Margaret Thatcher.
The father of three switched alliegance to New Labour before Tony Blair's 1997 victory and donated £200,000 to Labour in 2001, a year after he was knighted for services to business.
Sir Alan, whose estimated personal wealth peaked at around £900 million, leaving him just short of billionaire status, embarked on his road to riches when he left school at 16. He started selling car aerials on the streets of Hackney out of a van before setting up his own company aged 21. He called it Amstrad - derived from Alan Michael Sugar Trading.
He first became a nationally known figure in the Eighties when Amstrad moved into mass market consumer electronics and his cheap and cheerful home computer briefly became Britain's favourite PC.
But the Amstrad computer was swiftly overwhelmed by the tide of smaller, sexier and more reliable hardware being made in Japan. Despite more modest successes with TV set top boxes, and a number of flops, such as his telephone emailer, Amstrad was never the same force again. It was eventually sold to Sky in 2007 for £125 million, a fraction of its peak value.
Sir Alan, whose long list of strong dislikes extends to anyone in marketing, the City, the media and professional footballers, hit the headlines in 1991 when he bought Tottenham Hotspur to save it from the clutches of Robert Maxwell.
Over an acronious decade he spectacularly fell out with his first manager Terry Venables and angered many fans - even receivingf death threats from some - by failing to bring the glory they craved. He eventually sold the club in 2001 describing his experiences as a “waste of 10 years of my life” and footballers as “bigger scum than journalists.”
But the start of his ascent to national treasure status can be fixed to the day he “fired” his first hapless Apprentice candidate in 2005.
Sir Alan, who married Ann in 1968, is now so popular that a recent poll suggested that he would beat Boris Johnson if he chose to stand as London Mayor. It is a tribute to his huge popularity that he has chosen to accept the poison chalice of team leader for a task apoarently more hopeless than any given to his TV Apprentice candidates.
Poisoned chalice, Johnson switched to Home Office
ALAN JOHNSON was seen by many MPs as the man to succeed Gordon Brown.
But rather than inheriting the Labour crown, the former postman is off to be Home Secretary, the political graveyard for many Cabinet heavyweights.
The former union leader, 59, was orphaned at 12 and raised by his elder sister in a council flat. He attended Sloane Grammar School in Chelsea and became a shelf-stacker in Tesco.
Bigger brief, Mandy misses out on his dream job
GORDON Brown's new chief cheerleader Lord Mandelson was today set to be rewarded with an expanded Whitehall empire. But the 55-year-old peer and former European Commissioner lost out on the job as Foreign Secretary that he is said to have coveted. Mr Brown's allies feared that David Miliband could have quit the Cabinet if he was demoted from the Foreign Office.
Going for good, Hutton defuses fear of a mass walkout
THE über-Blairite's decision to step down, crucially without criticising the Prime Minister, is possibly one of the most significant moves today. John Hutton was the minister who warned in 2007 that Mr Brown would be a “f***ing disastrous” premier. But he knuckled down as Defence Secretary in the last reshuffle. Colleagues saw his move as proof there is now no chance at all of a mass Cabinet walkout.
Staying onboard, Darling wins battle to stay Chancellor
UNFLAPPABLE Alistair Darling won his fight to remain Chancellor. The popular MP's victory over Ed Balls will be welcomed by many Labour MPs. Weakened by controversy over his expenses, Mr Darling, 55, had faced demotion. But his allies argued his experience in dealing with the economic crisis would help the Government steer Britain out of recession. Mr Darling, who has been an Edinburgh MP since 1987, is seen as a straightforward and decent politician. He steadied the ship at the Department for Transport and as Chancellor has increasingly asserted his authority in disputes with Mr Brown over economic issues.
Comeback kid, Denham picks up Blears' old job
JOHN Denham's political comeback has been remarkable since he resigned over the Iraq war. He was today expected to be appointed Communities Secretary replacing Hazel Blears, who is facing growing accusations of disloyalty for quitting before yesterday's elections. Mr Denham, 55, has warned Labour must address the concerns of voters in the South-East if it is to cling to power. Resigning as a minister in 2003 over the invasion of Iraq, he criticised the US for “its disdain for international opinion”. A former chairman of the home affairs committee, and enthusiastic cricketer, he returned to Cabinet as universities secretary in 2007.
Reader views (13)
This is not my comment, but well worth repeating.
If the answer is Alan Sugar, what the bloody hell was the question.
- J R J, Glen Vine
What state is the Labour part now in?. First we have an unelected Prime Minister appointing an unelected Peer, (Lord Mendacious of Mandleson, who has already been sacked twice when a Minster)to be the Deputy Prime Minister, in all but name.
Then he appoints Sir Alan Sugar as 'business adviser' (strangely enough he was made a life peer shortly after donating £200,000 to the Labour party)a man who has made the vast majority of his personal wealth from commercial property speculation and development, which has in part fuelled the current financial crisis, and not from producing or selling poor quality bottom of the market electronic goods.
It is now being suggested that Alan Johnson is the front runner to replace Brown as another unelected Labour Prime Minister. What has he done in the professional world of business or commerce?. His only claim to fame is that he wasn't bright enough to go to a University, spent his early days as a Tesco shelf stacker and postman before using his political skills to rise to the top job in the communist controlled ranks of the Post Office and Telecommunication Workers Union.
The giants of the Labour movement, such as McDonald, Atlee, Bevan, Morrison and Gaitskill must be turning in their graves at the lack of integrity and the paucity of the current crop of Labour politicians.
- Pete, South London
Dereck, London, England:
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What a splendid idea Gormless Brown signing up Simon Cowell!!
I assume that Simon Cowell is astute enough to see right through the shabby veneer that Brown portrays. Brown is a conman of the first order.
Did you listen to Question Time in the House of Conmen on 3rd June 2009? Brown was spouting pure waffle and the Labour MP's were all shouting NOTHING at the end of each spiel by Brown, NOTHING, they shouted, NOTHING, NOTHING. THEY SOUNDED LIKE A GAGGLE OF HOOLIGANS INSTEAD OF MEMBERS OF HM PARLIAMENT. AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE TO DEMOCRACY.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe, Lancaster
Don't these old socialists just love a touch of the ermine?
- Ken, Bexleyheath
This is the guy that bought shares in Woolworths just before it hit the wall and slid down into a sloppy mess.
Even as a latter TV celebrity some of his choices have been questionable and bitten him (not literaly).
What does he know about "enterprise?"
- Escobar A-Lop-Lop, Slappinghead in Disbelief
Jesus, how desperate?!
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
A vile arrogant man for a vile arrogant party.
- Steve, London
Sugar Gets the Sweet Taste of Success.
serralen, is brought in to advise Gordon? What a fiasco, Amstrad products for an Amstrad Government, lets face it the product was always aimed at the D end of teh market, as is this Labour party.
Gordon Brown, broken just outside the guarentee period as is his government, no fixing, no replacement, only time to hold an election and buy a new product.
Perhaps the best advice that serralen can give is 'Your Fired', PLEASE !
- Jack, London
A good-for-nothing loser of a businessman; yes it fits the Labour "Enterprise" post well. But be warned Gordon: Mandy is a very jealous man.
- Thomas, London
What an absolute farce. AS should fire GB immediately.
- Cdc, Shropshire
Alan Sugar is a great addition to the Gordon Brown’s New Labour Government; both are yesterday’s has-beens.
Amstrad by the way were awful computers; any street wise kid will tell you that; Property was always a better bet; once he had the cash and the State; to keep property at ridiculously high levels of pure profit etc.
Still Sir Alan must be a better bet than Mandy Miller the Hop Dog; when some are in a hole, they still keep digging; the wiser ones stop digging.
- Mickyinlondon, london
True to form Brown appoints unelected celebs into key roles because the the lack of talent in his own government. How he must crave the Chinese system. Long live democracy.
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland
I suggest Gormlesss Clown now signs up Simon Cowell to see if the labour Party has any talent.
On the other side Anne Robinson should not be offered a job as it would be too easy to find a weak link.
- Dereck, London, England
