The Apprentice's Lottie Lion brands Lewis Ellis 'disrespectful' over meme posted on Twitter

Apprentice contestant Lottie Lion has labelled Lewis Ellis "disrespectful" after he posted a meme about her on Twitter.

The librarian, 19, hit back at the digital project manager, 28, after he joked about her negotiation skills.

During Wednesday night's episode, Lion was criticised by fellow contestants Thomas Skinner and Dean Ahmad for interrupting a negotiation that Skinner was making.

The person selling the item said it would cost £10 to replace - but Lion then offered £12 and completed the deal.

Skinner said afterwards: "I thought I was going to lead that negotiation but Lottie stepped in. I don't understand when the man said it was a tenner, she went up. If she had let me just talk I would've got it for a fiver probably."

In a screen grab of the show, Ellis is seen laughing with teammates Pamela Laird and Riyonn Farsad.

He captioned the photograph, 'When you hear about how well Lottie negotiates,' with three crying with laughter emojis.

Lion then hit back: "Imagine actively disrespecting someone you’ve slept with, bit rude."

Ellis has since deleted his tweet.

Last night middle eastern food entrepreneur Riyonn Farsad was the fifth contestant to be fired in the show after being blamed for ill timekeeping during the show.

The episode saw the contestants practise their bartering and logistical skills by sourcing and purchasing a list of items from Oxford and Cambridge.

Farsad's team - led by Jemelin Artigas - ended up failing to purchase all of the items, meaning they were fined by Lord Alan Sugar.

The property mogul then fired Farsad.

The Apprentice continues on Wednesday, November 6 at 9pm on BBC One.