Sugar said to be wondering if it’s worth the hassle?

But only months after first taking his seat in the Lords, he has now said that
the negative publicity may not be “worth it”.

“Too much negative stuff is really unhelpful”, he said. “I may
decide that this is simply not worth it, when you’re giving your time free
of charge for no agenda. What am I going to get out of it? I’m not getting
paid. I’ve not got my titles for the sake of a badge.”

Last week Lord Sugar told bosses of small and medium sized businesses: “I
can honestly say a lot of problems you hear from people who are moaning are
from companies I wouldn’t lend a penny to” adding “the
irresponsible manner in which the banks dealt was the norm” were living
in “the unrealistic Disney World”.

Despite the row, which saw the FSB call for him to be sacked, he still believes he is the best man
for the job.

“I am the man on this subject,” he told The Sunday Times. “I
don’t think anyone else can give the depth of advice and experience I have
had over the years.”

Lord Sugar, who is worth an estimated £730 million, has come under criticism
previously for his role as enterprise champion. The BBC Trust said that the
BBC could be forced to reschedule The Apprentice due to the General Election
because Lord Sugar’s role would poses a risk to the Corporation’s
impartiality.

Lord Sugar, a long-standing Labour supporter, has argued that his role is
advisory and “political neutral”.

During the interview, Lord Sugar, the founder of Amstrad, the computer
company, also admitted that he voted for and “admired” Baroness
Thatcher, but added that he did not think the Tories would ask him to
continue in his role should they form the next government.

“Look, I’m working in the department at the moment, the BIS [Business,
Innovation and Skills]. I think it’s safe to say if the Tories got in, they
would say they didn’t want my services,” he said, adding that he
thought the chances of a Tory government calling on him had about as much
chance as “a rabbi eating a bacon sandwich.”