Alan Sugar accused of peddling coronavirus conspiracy theories about Wuhan lab

Alan Sugar has been accused of peddling coronavirus conspiracy theories after sharing a bizarre tweet about the origins of Covid-19.

Lord Sugar, 73, took to the social media site to offer his thoughts on how the pandemic started, sharing rumours the virus was man-made in the Chinese city of Wuhan where the outbreak was first detected.

He even suggests the pandemic looks like the work of a “James Bond villain”.

He tweeted: “What do others think, it’s not clear to me where covid came from.

“There was talk of Huhan [Wuhan] in China but also talk of a leaked sample made in a research lab

“Why would a lab be making it. Consider this virus has put the world on its knees. It’s as if James bond villain planned it.”

The message sparked a furious debate on the site, with many followers condemning The Apprentice boss for rumour-mongering.

One wrote: “Someone with your profile shouldn’t be ‘just asking questions’.

“They should be stating what they know to be true and otherwise silent.”

Another added: “I think a Lord of the realm shouldn’t be involved in baseless conspiracy theories.”

A third added: “And what better way to find out than to ask a bunch of unqualified people on Twitter?

“I do hope you’ll be presenting this vital research to the House of Lords when you’re finished!

“Though you might wish to avail yourself of some specialised assistance with some of those tricky Chinese symbols… such as the letter W.”

One more tweeted: “Alan, babes. Stick to dodgy emailer phones and leave the epidemiology to the experts eh?”

Another even compared Lord Sugar to controversial comedy show Brass Eye, writing: “I have no evidence for it but it’s scientific fact. @Lord_Sugar going full Brasseye.”

Previous suggestions that Covid-19 is man-made have been dismissed by scientists, with many pointing out the virus is very similar to those found in bats and shows no sign of being created in a lab.