Sugar to fight compo culture

Alan Sugar has vowed to take on the claim culture as a “personal crusade” after Stella English, a former winner of The Apprentice, lost her case against him for constructive dismissal.

Ms English, 34, sued Sugar after resigning from the job that was her prize for winning series six of the BBC1 show in 2010. The position came with an salary of £100,000 (€117,300).

Last month, she told the East London Tribunal Service she was treated like an “overpaid lackey”.

However in a written judgment, tribunal judge John Warren said: “This was a claim which should never have been brought.”

Sugar said the case was “tantamount to blackmail”. He said: “She picked the wrong person here and I do hope that, apart from it being a victory for me, other business people will realise they shouldn’t succumb to this type of blackmail and should fight it.”