Lord Sugar backs Boris for PM - just months after saying he should be jailed for misleading public

Alan Sugar has publicly backed Boris Johnson to be the next Prime Minister, just months after saying he should be imprisoned for telling ‘lies’ during the 2016 Brexit campaign.

In an interview with the Press Association, Lord Sugar said: "I think that Boris will get the job and from my point of view I will be pleased with that, because I'm thinking beyond Brexit and to the next election and I think Boris is actually quite liked by the population.”

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Sugar went on to say he backs Johnson as he is the best chance of stopping Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn becoming PM.

He added: "And while the population should not vote for a person they like, they should vote for the policies, the reality is they don't. They vote for someone who they like. And Boris has got a good chance because he's a likeable chap and from my point of view, anybody who can stop Corbyn being elected, I would back them."

The Apprentice star then took to social media to offer his support to the Conservative candidate. He tweeted: “I seriously back @BorisJohnson to be the new PM. The public like him and he will have a good chance of winning the general election in 2021 if not before. Any one who can stop @jeremycorbyn from becoming PM has my backing.”

Despite this public support, the former Labour peer has not always been a BoJo fan. He told the House of Lords in October 2018: "It is my belief that a large section of the British public were misled in forming their decision to vote to leave.

"Misleading shareholders has resulted in prosecution and imprisonment.

"Applying the public company principle, it would follow that those people who will be responsible for putting this country into five to 10 years of post-Brexit turmoil based on lies - such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove for the £350 million lie on the red bus - should be imprisoned, or at least prosecuted."

Read more: Lord Sugar says he will leave the country if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister

He added at the time: "I was fuming that somebody did not ask Boris Johnson to put his hand on his heart, look down the lens and tell the British public that the £350 million was a truthful statement.

"One thing is for sure: I know that, in my forceful manner, I would have made him admit that he was lying.

"Who knows, perhaps that could have swung the vote."

When questioned about his complete turnaround on Twitter, Lord Sugar again reiterated his main priority was to keep Corbyn from the top spot.

He tweeted: "Yes you are right but I am endorsing him for ONE reason only and that is to stop Jeremy Corbyn getting into power in 2021. Sometimes you have to decide what is important to ME."

Sugar has previously said he would leave the UK if Corbyn was to become Prime Minister.