Confusion over Sir Alan hiring

Monday, 8 June 2009 4:26 PM

By Alex Stevenson

Alan Sugar's status remains in doubt, as question-marks were raised over his decision to act as the government's enterprise tsar.

No 10 struggled to explain how The Apprentice star will fit into Gordon Brown's plans after he was named on Friday as an advisor to the prime minister.

In a weekend interview on Sky News Sir Alan criticised the government's 50p income tax policy and said he had no intention of associating himself with the Labour party.

"Alan Sugar is not a member of the government," the prime minister's spokesman said. On whether or not he would take the whip in the Lords, he added: "That's a matter for him and the Labour party."

Much of the confusion lies with the peerage handed to Sir Alan after a number of hand-picked appointments made by Gordon Brown required appointment to the Lords.

Glenys Kinnock, the new Europe minister, will be made a peer, it was announced in Friday's Cabinet reshuffle, Peter Mandelson was also unelected and so had to be made a peer before he could become business secretary.

Sir Alan was being handed a peerage as recognition for his "exceptional entrepreneurial flair", Downing Street explained.

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