Lord Sugar brands Piers Morgan a 'hypocrite' over coronavirus test

Lord Alan Sugar has slammed Piers Morgan after the Good Morning Britain host revealed he was tested for coronavirus because he is deemed a key worker.

Morgan revealed that he was able to get a test for Covid-19 “on medical advice, and out of an abundance of caution for a mild symptom that arose in past 48hrs”.

In a follow-up tweet, he revealed the test was negative, telling his Twitter followers: “I was advised to take the test by my doctor after developing possible coronavirus symptoms, and was entitled to do so as a Govt-designated essential worker.

He continued: “I'll be back on @GMB as soon as my doctor advises I'm OK to return to work.”

Lord Sugar wrote that he was “pleased” Morgan had tested negative, but questioned why he was deemed a key worker.

“Have I missed something?" he said. "Like the Govn "Masochist bill". According to @piersmorgan he is a Govn- designated essential worker. Does he mean the Govn see him essential to slag them off every day. There are other presenters to step in @gmb he is certainly not essential.”

He then branded Morgan as a “hypocrite” who “deprived” key workers of a test.

“.@piersmorgan not an Govn-designated essential worker,” he wrote.

“There're [sic] Nurses, Doctors, Police, Army,train and truck drivers. He deprived a real essential workers from a test. If this was Hugh Grant, Meghan or other of his enemies like me. He would be howling from the rooftops. HYPOCRITE”.

In a follow-up tweet, Lord Sugar continued: “Frankly @piersmorgan has shot himself in the foot. He would have done better saying nothing and not mention testing.”

He continued: “He has opened a can of worms for people to have a go at him. However good news he tested negative.”

Morgan has defended his access to a test, replying to a since-deleted tweet from another user that he was “drawing no equivalence” between his job and other key workers.

“Your daughter is an infinitely more essential worker than me,” he wrote.

“I was drawing no equivalence, just explaining the Govt's designated all journalists & broadcasters covering the coronavirus crisis as essential workers too, which is why we can get a test if we show symptoms.”

In a column for the Daily Mail in March, Morgan criticised celebrities such as Idris Elba for having access to coronavirus tests.

“Idris Elba… thought he was doing the right thing when he released a video revealing he had tested positive for the virus - and urged others to stay safe,” he wrote.

“The problem was that in doing so, he exposed how wrong it is that celebrities like him are getting expensive private tests when most health care workers can’t.”