Lord Sugar and Duncan Bannatyne deny they are mystery businessman behind gagging order

High-profile businessmen Sir Alan Sugar and Duncan Bannatyne have hit back after Twitter ‘trolls’ accused them of being the mystery businessman that has gagged The Telegraph after their investigation into accusations of alleged sexual assault.

The 71-year-old Apprentice host Lord Sugar didn’t hold back in his denial tweet which said, “I have no idea who that person is, but I certainly know it is NOT me.”

Meanwhile, 69-year-old Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne responded to a Twitter user that said he ‘seems the sort’ with ‘Nope. Not me.’

The Daily Telegraph is unable to release the name of the businessman following an injunction by the Court of Appeal. They said the mystery businessman has spent almost £500,000 on shielding his identity from the press.

Earlier this week the paper claimed that a businessman had paid off five members of staff who accused him of racism and sexual assault and said they also signed NDAs (non-disclosure agreements).

There is now mass speculation amongst the media and public as to who this man could be. Several politicians have slammed the injunction, including Labour MP Jess Philips.

On Wednesday she addressed the issue directly to Prime Minister Theresa May in the House of Commons.

“It seems that our laws allow rich and powerful men to pretty much do whatever they want as long as they can pay to keep it quiet,” she said.

The PM said she could not comment on the case, but that her government were working on adjusting NDA regulations.

“Sexual harassment in the workplace is against the law. Such abhorrent behaviour should not be tolerated and an employer that allows that harassment to go un-dealt-with is sending a message about how welcome they [women] are and about their value in the workplace.

“Non-disclosure agreements cannot stop people from whistleblowing but it is clear that some employers are using them unethically,” Prime Minister Theresa May responded.

Phillips denies knowing the identity of the businessman.

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