1 October 2015

Lord Sugar to Jeremy Corbyn: You’re fired*

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Alan Sugar’s television programme is surely a Marxist secret plot to make capitalism look as unappealing as possible. The contestants, and the way in which they talk to each other and customers, make a centralised, command economy look slightly appealing, even to someone with my views.

But while I am no fan of Sugar – or his enoblement as a Labour peer (he has since resigned from the party) – you have to hand it to him when it comes to pithy pro-market soundbites. He has just denounced Labour’s new leader, reports the Evening Standard.

“He and his policies would be the thing that shuts the whole thing down,” he said. “If they ever got anywhere near electing him and him being the Prime Minister then I think we should all move to China or somewhere like that and let this place just rot.”

He is also unimpressed by Labour’s candidate to be London mayor, Sadiq Khan, despite never having heard of him.

“If you want the market to stop then you’ve got Batman and Robin in those two. If they ever got into power that would create a lot of problems.”

This is good, punchy stuff from Sugar. But there is a serious point. People who previously voted Labour, among the millions of viewers who watch his programmes, will hear statements of this kind and it may help reinforce a perception that the Labour party under Corbyn is now well beyond the mainstream and run by clowns.

*I can only apologise for using the “You’re fired” line in that headline. It’s too obvious I know. Every headline about Alan Sugar involves his catchphrase, but I couldn’t think of anything else. Sorry.

Iain Martin is Editor of CapX.