Alan Sugar's sister dies from Covid two weeks after brother

Alan Sugar’s sister has died from Covid, two weeks after The Apprentice host’s brother also died from the disease.

The 73-year-old businessman paid tribute to his eldest sister, Shirley Regal, on social media, saying she had died on Monday, aged 88.

“She had been sick for a while but I guess Covid got her in the end to join our brother Derek, who passed two weeks ago. RIP SHIRL,” he wrote on Twitter. He added on Instagram: “I guess another victim of Covid.”

On 15 December, Lord Sugar announced his brother had died after contracting coronavirus, describing it as “a sad day for us all in the family”.

He tweeted: “Today I lost my long-suffering brother Derek, another victim of Covid which added to his underlying health issues.

“He was a lifetime, passionate Spurs supporter. I never forget my sister-in-law joking with me, thanking me for buying him the club.”

In September, Sugar condemned “unfair” criticism of the government’s handling of the pandemic, saying the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had done a “good job in the circumstances”.

“I think the chancellor has done very well generally, and I say that as someone who is not exactly a supporter of the government,” he told PA Media. “There have been a lot of people saying how costly it has been and giving them stick, but I think that’s unfair to be honest.”

However, he said the government should require office workers to return to work to “support the City [of London], support the economy”.

“The City is suffering as there are no workers there, so until they really push to get more people there it will continue to look like a ghost town.”

This year’s series of The Apprentice, in which Sugar judges hopeful entrepreneurs doing business-related challenges, was postponed by the BBC due to Covid-19.

The programme usually airs in October, with Sugar choosing the winner in December.

“We can’t be sending people across the world for tasks, or going out on the street to sell items. It’s really unfortunate but had to happen,” he said at the time.