Business Forum Please click here

Business Focus >>

The new manufacturers The new manufacturers

A great British renaissance has been taking place. From Aberdeen to the West Country, the zing is back in manufacturing. It’s about time this spectacular story was told.

  • hot
  • hot
  • hot 100
  • 50 to watch in mobile
3 comments

Look out Boris! Sir Alan for Mayor?!

by Ally Papasodaro - Friday, 27th June 2008

Look out Boris! Sir Alan for Mayor?!

Sugar told the Beeb that he was “the right kind of person” for the job because he “cuts to the chase”. So, we could see the straight-talking Amstrad founder stand for the next mayoral election in 2012.

He continued: “Common sense prevails that someone like me who tends to cut to the chase, so to speak, would be the right kind of person to look after a city like London, but who knows about the politics.

“I’ve always been one of those people that walks in the office in the morning and says ’this is what we’re going to do’. I don’t think you can do that in politics and government.”

Sir Alan, who has been serving PM Gordon Brown in an advisory capacity, would be an ideal candidate for the Labour strategists, who are keen to recruit a senior businessman for the race in four years.

Sugar will no doubt benefit from his close relationship with Brown, but he could also face some stiff competition. Livingstone has been hinting that he might re-join the race, hoping for a repeat performance of his landslide victory against Frank Dobson in 2000.

Sir Alan is sanguine about his chances: “One can never say never, but I think it’s a long shot really because so many people say to me, ’oh you should be running the country’ but it’s not like walking into my office and saying this is what we’re going to do tomorrow and it just happens because I said so."

Tags: sir alan, sugar, brown, frank dobson, boris johnson, gordon brown, the apprentice, mayoral election, amstrad, sir alan sugar, livingstone, labour,

3 Comments

July 09, 2008 4:42pm
tick-tack Says:

Sir Alan Sugar as Mayor of London and Gordon Brown as Prime Minister? You just need to add Madge from 'Benedorm' and Captain Mannering from 'Dad's Army' and the team would be complete. Now the announcement of a pending recession and some really bad news about the NHS, disasterous negative happenings on the Global warming front and a huge rise in crime, would send them all into raptures! No, no, spare me from another miserable leader. Where on earth are all the old style personalities we loved so much? Have the aliens abducted them all?

July 09, 2008 4:42pm
INSERT A HEADLINE Says:

Sir Alan Sugar as Mayor of London and Gordon Brown as Prime Minister? You just need to add Madge from Benidorm and Captain Mannering from 'Dad's Army' and the team would be complete. The announcement of a pending recession and some really bad news about the NHS, disasterous negative happenings on the global warming front and a huge rise in crime, would send them all into raptures! No, no, spare me from another miserable leader. Where on earth are all the old-style personalities we loved so much? Have the aliens abducted them all?

July 02, 2008 4:19pm
REXFORD J LADD Says:

can you please ask Sir Alan what he has suggested/offered up as stated in your review "who has been serving PM Gordon Brown in an advisory capacity" I am sure most people in the country would like to know

Close X

Leave a comment


Name:
Email:
Comment:
  I have read and understand the terms and conditions
 

Please click the post button only once - your comment will not be published immediately

BUSINESS NEWS >>

Online future is bright for Cornish auction house 

By Catherine Woods - August 21, 2008 4:31pm GMT

Auction houses mustn’t ignore the internet business revolution, argues art entrepreneur Barnes Thomas whose Cornwall-based company is alone in offering online bidding in the county.

Doing business in Russia? Get your arsenal ready

By Kate Pritchard - August 21, 2008 11:57am GMT

Despite its deteriorating relations with the West, Russia offers lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs. But be warned: the world’s tenth biggest economy and second largest oil producing country has some of the toughest negotiators on the planet.

Local knowledge is key to success in the Middle East

By Catherine Woods - August 20, 2008 5:34pm GMT

The key to succeeding in the Middle East is having an understanding of local business practices and customs as soon as you’re on the ground, says BIW Technologies chief Colin Smith.

Celebrity endorsement for food entrepreneur

By Kate Pritchard - August 20, 2008 5:28pm GMT

Jennifer Irvine set up home-delivery meals firm The Pure Package in 2004 from her kitchen. Today she turns over £1.2m and has over 3,000 clients on her books, including Ruby Wax, Patsy Kensit and handbag designer Anya Hindmarch. “I’ve never marketed the brand to celebrities,” she says. “They’ve come to me.” So, what’s her secret?

Green award attracts clients to Fresh

By Catherine Woods - August 20, 2008 5:05pm GMT

Cheadle-based creative media group Fresh is upfront about its environmental credentials. Co-founder and director Julie Besbrode says the firm has become one of only a few in the UK to be granted a globally recognised environmental award.


BUSINESS COMMENT >>

Dragons’ Den: Where are they now?

By Rebecca Burn-Callander - August 21, 2008 5:02pm GMT

If you (like us) were wondering whatever happened to all those businesses that faced the Dragons’ wrath in the Den over the past six series, look no further.

How do you fund your growth?

By Zarrin Lilani - August 20, 2008 4:09pm GMT

As the economic situation worsens in the UK, we’re hearing reports that smaller businesses aren't managing their finances in the best way.

Ten lessons for entrepreneurs from Team GB at the Olympics

By Stuart Rock - August 20, 2008 11:59am GMT

Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington, Ben Ainslie: entrepreneurs can learn from all of them

Is Bob Dylan the entrepreneur's soundtrack?

By Matthew Rock - August 20, 2008 10:07am GMT

The chief executive of property developer Brixton yesterday quoted Bob Dylan's "All along the watchtower" lyrics to sum up the state of the property market. So which songs best sum up the life of the entrepreneur? Here are our suggestions.

Apprentice star gets nobbled by wall

By Rebecca Burn-Callander - August 19, 2008 4:57pm GMT

Nicholas De Lacy-Brown thought being fired by Alan Sugar was bad. Little did he know that a few months later, he’d receive a far more crushing blow.


Click here to sign up for the Real Business newsletter
Real Business Front Cover