Alan Sugar has spent the past 24 hours in the social media equivalent of that depressing greasy spoon to which losing Apprentice teams are banished. The baron of boardroom banter provoked uproar by tweeting a picture of the Senegal World Cup team photoshopped so that they appeared to be selling counterfeit goods. “I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella. Multitasking, resourceful chaps,” jested The Apprentice host, seemingly struggling to hold his sides in, so free-flowing was the mirth. The tweet was widely condemned as racist. What made it even more egregious was that Lord Sugar – face of one of the BBC’s highest profile franchise and member of the House of Lords – appeared oblivious to the offensiveness off his wisecrack (as the backlash grew he would eventually offer a full apology). “It is meant to be funny … for god sake” he tweeted. “I cant see what I have to apologise for … you are OTT … its a bloody joke.” The real joke, it might be argued, is the BBC’s genteel treatment of Sugar. The lightest of raps across his virtual knuckles appears to be the limits of the official response. “Lord Sugar has acknowledged this was a seriously misjudged tweet, and he’s in no doubt about our view on this. It’s right he’s apologised unreservedly,” said the corporation’s press office in a statement that sounded in a hurry to put the matter to rest.<doc-sep>ALAN Sugar has been trolled by social media users following his "racist" tweet after trying to promote a new business. The Apprentice boss has faced criticism for tweeting a picture of the Senegalese World Cup squad which had been edited to include a picture of handbags and sunglasses for sale. 7 Lord Sugar was heavily criticised for this tweet which compared the Senegal World Cup team to 'guys from the beach in Marbella' In the now-deleted tweet, Lord Sugar wrote: "I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella. Multi tasking resourceful chaps." And this morning social media users reminded him of the shocking gaffe when he tried to plug new products to his followers. He wrote: "Send a fully personalised gift of sweets from my new business partner Sweets in the City, only £14.99. Fits through a standard letter box, no need to wait in or sign for delivery. Perfect for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, Congratulations." Twitter user Shahil Parmar replied: "No thanks, I don’t buy sweets from a racist." 7 The businessman's latest tweet did not go as planned 7 One user joked that Lord Sugar may need to buy some himself... 7 A user told the TV star: 'No thanks, I don't buy sweets from a racist' 7 Sugar was told to 'work on his apologies' Scott Dalton joked: "Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, congratulations, thank you's... and apologies." One wrote: "For someone who was mocking an international football team for peddling goods on the beach you are doing a fair amount of shameless peddling yourself with these ridiculously overpriced sweets! "Maybe take a day off and work on your apologies M’lud." Another responded: "I used to think highly of you. "You out of all people know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of prejudice and mass judgement, and yet you chose to inflict the same bigotry that was inflicted on you and your people. Shame." 7 Lord Sugar was slammed after comparing the Senegal football team to Marbella beach touts Credit: Getty - Contributor Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent Central, has said the BBC, which airs Lord Sugar's reality programme The Apprentice, should take "swift action" against Lord Sugar. Ms Butler tweeted a screengrab of a section titled "Treating everyone equally" from the BBC's Code of Conduct, which states they do not "tolerate discrimination of any kind". She wrote, referring to The Apprentice star's common phrase: "Take a look at the BBC's Code of Conduct. It's time the @BBC pulled @Lord_Sugar into the boardroom and told him 'You're Fired'." Ms Butler had earlier tweeted that she was "very troubled after seeing @Lord_Sugar racist tweet". Alan Sugar admits he annoyed the BBC by picking two Apprentice winners She added: "I will be writing to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and the @BBC calling for an immediate investigation. Racism has no place in Parliament or society. "Swift action must be taken." A Senegal fan has also criticised Lord Sugar's tweet about his national team. Speaking in Moscow the day after Senegal's 2-1 victory over Poland at the World Cup in Russia, Pape Ndiaye, 47, said that he was "absolutely" offended by the tweet, and called it "bulls***". 7 Senegal fan Pape Ndiaye said he was 'absolutely' offended by the tweet, which Lord Sugar defended as a joke Credit: PA:Press Association Lord Sugar initially defended the tweet, saying that he thought it was "funny" and that people had misinterpreted it. But the 71-year-old TV star and business mogul later apologised, writing: "I misjudged me earlier tweet. It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry." Following his apology, a BBC spokesman said: "Lord Sugar has acknowledged this was a seriously misjudged tweet, and he's in no doubt about our view on this. "It's right he's apologised unreservedly." The Apprentice, which sees business candidates compete against each other for a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar, is due to air its 14th series later this year. Prior to deleting the tweet about the Senegal team and his apology, Lord Sugar had said his post was meant to be a "joke". MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' In a now-deleted tweet, he said: "Just been reading the reaction to my funny tweet about the guy on the beach in Marbella. Seems it has been interpreted in the wrong way as offensive by a few people. Frankly I cant see that I think it's funny. But I will pull it down if you insist." Lord Sugar had also tweeted at people who had criticised it, writing to one: "I cant see what I have to apologise for ... you are OTT ... its a bloody joke." His post came as the BBC published a landmark report on career progression for its employees of black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, in a drive for "substantial culture change".<doc-sep>There’s no question that Alan Sugar’s tweet comparing the players in the Senegal national football team to people selling sunglasses and handbags on beaches is racist and deeply offensive. He tweeted a photo of the team, saying, “I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella. Multi tasking resourceful chaps.” This included a photo of sunglasses and handbags laid out for sale, just to make the comparison crystal clear. Whether it was intended to be a “joke” or not is irrelevant. It’s an unacceptable thing for anyone to say, but is particularly distressing to see from a member of the House of Lords and someone with their own programme on the BBC. The fact that Lord Sugar couldn’t seem to comprehend why it was offensive demonstrates how deep-rooted racism is in our society. I am writing to the House of Lords commissioner for standards to ask for an immediate investigation. Racism has no place in society or in our parliament, and swift action must be taken to demonstrate that. Parliament is supposed to represent our diverse society. How can it do that if its members make comments that belong in another century? Lord Sugar’s tweet about the Senegal World Cup squad, which has since been deleted. Photograph: Lord Sugar/Twitter/PA I will also be writing to the BBC to ask them to conduct their own investigation. As our state broadcaster, funded by the public, it has a responsibility to represent the diversity of our society and uphold our values of equality and respect. However, the BBC’s response didn’t fill me with confidence. After Sugar apologised for causing any offence, the BBC said that this was sufficient, even though the apology came after he defended his so-called joke, telling those offended to get a sense of humour. Ironically, his tweet went out on the same day the BBC launched its new diversity policy, saying it was a significant step forward in ensuring it represents the ethnic diversity of our society. But I find it hard to see how this can mark a moment of real change if the BBC is already refusing to take action on a racist comment by one of its key figures. I think many people will rightly be appalled that their licence fee is subsidising someone with such bigoted views. When Roseanne Barr posted her racist and Islamophobic tweet about Obama’s former White House adviser, she rightly lost her programme. Sugar’s comments are a clear breach of the BBC’s code of conduct, which says disciplinary action will be taken against anyone who crosses the line. He shouldn’t be exempt because of his high profile. How can we hope to eliminate racism from our society if comments like these from such individuals go unchallenged? If Sugar can’t demonstrate that he truly understands why his tweet was unacceptable, derogatory and demeaning, he should be pulled from the BBC’s programming schedule.<doc-sep>
There are calls for Lord Sugar to be investigated by parliament and the BBC after he compared Senegal's football team to people who sell merchandise on Spanish beaches. He has since apologised for tweeting the comment, which led social media users to accuse him of racism. The BBC, which broadcasts his programme, The Apprentice, said the comment had been "seriously misjudged". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman said the tweet was "quite clearly racially offensive, and should be investigated by the parliamentary standards authorities". Dawn Butler, Labour's shadow secretary of state for Women & Equalities, tweeted: "Very troubled after seeing Lord Sugar's racist tweet. "I will be writing to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and the BBC, calling for an immediate investigation." Firstly @Lord_Sugar is constructing this joke on the premise that all black people 1) look alike 2) are poor 3) cannot achieve social mobility — Kelechi Okafor (@kelechnekoff) June 20, 2018 Posting a picture of the Senegal team on Twitter, with images of sunglasses and handbags crudely added underneath, Lord Sugar wrote: "I recognise some of these guys from the beach in Marbella. Multi tasking resourceful chaps." Twitter user Mike Lewis wrote: "The entire joke revolves around you making a stereotype based on the colour of somebody's skin. You're fired pal." Actress Kelechi Okafor said he was "constructing this joke on the premise that all black people 1) look alike 2) are poor 3) cannot achieve social mobility". Very troubled after seeing @Lord_Sugar racist tweet. I will be writing to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and the @BBC calling for an immediate investigation. Racism has no place in Parliament or society. Swift action must be taken. pic.twitter.com/43aXhBYUyi — (((Dawn Butler MP))) (@DawnButlerBrent) June 20, 2018 Following such complaints, Lord Sugar said he had been reading the reaction to his "funny tweet". "Seems it has been interpreted in the wrong way as offensive by a few people," he wrote. "Frankly I can't see that - I think it's funny. But I will pull it down if you insist." Later, he offered a full apology, writing: "I misjudged my earlier tweet. "It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. "I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry." I misjudged me earlier tweet. It was in no way intended to cause offence, and clearly my attempt at humour has backfired. I have deleted the tweet and am very sorry. — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) June 20, 2018 The BBC said: "Lord Sugar has acknowledged this was a seriously misjudged tweet, and he's in no doubt about our view on this. It's right he's apologised unreservedly." A few people came to his defence. Sam Wilkins said the "witch-hunt" against Lord Sugar was "absurd", adding: "He hasn't done anything to harm anyone, and if you don't like it then don't follow him." Chris Davis said: "The world is too PC... I am (sic) the majority of other people found the funny side to it and could see no offence was meant." Lord Sugar is no stranger to controversy on social media. He took down another tweet which showed Jeremy Corbyn in a car next to Adolf Hitler, following allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. He also appeared to write a poem about the Labour leader.