Calls for Sir Alan Sugar to be "Fired"!

It would be hard not follow up yesterday’s post when Enterprise Champion Sir Alan Sugar is squarely in the news again today.

Following his harsh comments about small businesses (see yesterday’s post) on Tuesday night, many business owners were called for him to be “Fired” yesterday.

Although a wave of complaints by business owners might be a nuisance to Gordon Brown, who appointed him as the Government’s Enterprise Champion, the PM is likely to remain unembarrassed, as he has appears to have come through many other potential embarrassments with an enviable display of thick skin.

The Federation of Small Businesses said a number of firms had complained to them about Lord Sugar’s outburst. Chairman John Wright said: “Despite being appointed by the Government to champion business in the UK, Lord Sugar seems to have no grasp of the hard work small businesses do and the role they play in employing six in ten of the country’s private sector work force.

“We urge the Prime Minister to appoint someone with a great understanding of the small business sector.”

Lord Sugar rebutted the argument by saying: “It is unfortunate that my words have been taken out of context.”

Sir Alan Sugar bemoans "bust" businesses

Sir Alan Sugar, boss of Amstrad, star of BBC’s The Apprentice and the Government’s Enterprise Champion, has launched an attacked on Britain’s struggling small business bosses.

Speaking to 300 business owners in Manchester Sir Alan said that 85 per cent of small business who had been refused loans weren’t worth lending to anyway, and that many firms needed a bankruptcy adviser rather than a bank.

The eight-minute rant was delivered after one business owner told him four banks had refused to lend him £20,000 because of “cash-flow” difficulties.

Sir Alan said: "Banks are there to do business. Anyone who says they are not are wrong.

"Regretfully, when we delve into some examples of the companies that have gone to the banks saying 'lend me some money', I wouldn't lend them a penny.

"They are bust and don't need the bank - they need an insolvency practitioner.

"I would look you right in the eye and tell you out of 100 complaints, on investigation, I would say 15 of them had something to moan about."

He went on to say: "The problem is that some younger people who have lived through the last 10 years or so of business think the irresponsible manner in which the banks dealt is the norm.

"Let me tell you, you have lived in the unrealistic Disneyworld in the way banks dished out money."

Lord Sugar’s comments were not taken very well by the business owners. One delegate said: "There could have been a bit more enthusiasm here. There's been lot of negativity."

So much for being the Enterprise Champion for the Government (who have borrowed billions of pounds!).