Children’s hospital hit by Sugar ad ban

The Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and other charitable institutions are due to lose tens of thousands of pounds a year as a result of Sir Alan Sugar being fired as the face of the National Savings & Investments advertising campaign.

Sir Alan has been allowed to keep his job as presenter of the BBC show The Apprentice after being appointed Gordon Brown's enterprise tsar. But the ads for NS&I have to stop because political figures cannot take part in government advertising.

As TV viewers know, Sir Alan finishes one of his ads with the line: "I like winners but I'm no gambler. That's why I like Premium Bonds... They're tax free, no risk and you can always get your money back. That's why my fee for this ad is going to Great Ormond Street.”

The famous children's hospital would not comment directly about the NS&I campaign, but told The First Post: "Sir Alan is a longstanding and generous supporter of the hospital. He has found a variety of ways to help us in the past and we're grateful for his ongoing support."

A spokesman for Sir Alan, asked how much he had been giving the hospital as a result of the ads, said: "I'm afraid we are not commenting on any figures relating to Sir Alan's involvement with NS&I, but you are right to point out that every penny went to charity."

The NS&I decision follows a political row over whether Sir Alan should be allowed to keep his job as host of the The Apprentice. The Conservatives have made a formal complaint to the BBC Trust over the decision to allow him to carry on as presenter of The Apprentice. Sir Alan has denied his appointment was a "political thing" despite the fact that he will sit in the House of Lords as a Labour peer.