‘You’re fired’: The Apprentice star Lord Alan Sugar accused of treating Parliament with contempt

Lord Alan Sugar, the star of BBC One hit The Apprentice, has been accused of treating Parliament with “contempt”.

The business tycoon was told “You’re fired” in a row over his long-running failure to take part in proceedings in the House of Lords.

Lord Sugar was given a dose of his own boardroom medicine after being sworn in at Westminster, where he has not spoken in the upper chamber for six years.

The PA news agency said it understands the Amstrad founder only narrowly avoided being kicked out of the House for non-attendance by turning up on the last day of the previous parliamentary session.

Under the current rules, there are no requirements for participation beyond attendance for a peer to maintain their seat.

Many peers had already made the required pledge of allegiance at the despatch box ahead of the summer break, following the election and return of Parliament.

Lord Alan Sugar hasn’t spoken in the Lords for almost six years

According to the parliamentary record, Lord Sugar’s last spoken contribution in the Lords was in October 2018.

It also shows the independent crossbencher has not voted since 2017 and has never asked a written question.

A participation requirement by members of the unelected chamber had been proposed by Labour as part of a package of Lords reforms in its election manifesto, alongside a mandatory retirement age of 80, and the removal of hereditary peers.

However, only the latter proposal is currently being taken forward in legislation.

It was as Lord Sugar was being sworn in that Labour former minister Lord Foulkes of Cumnock turned the tables and, pointing across the floor of the chamber, shouted: “You’re fired!”

He later said of Lord Sugar: “He is one of the peers who treats the House with contempt.

“There is a growing feeling that we should tighten up the requirements, not just for attendance but also for participation, and kick out those who are not meeting a minimum of both.”

There have been ongoing concerns about the size of the Lords and calls to reduce its membership – which stands at around 800, compared with the 650 capped number of MPs.

Lord Sugar’s representatives have been contacted for comment.