Sir Alan doesn't want to be condescending

Sir Alan Sugar has defended his questioning which appeared to lead Katie Hopkins to refuse his offer of a place in The Apprentice's final screened this evening on BBC One.

Sir Alan said today it would be "condescending" not to ask a mother of children with potential who was applying for a job in London from outside the capital how she would manage in practical terms.

He said it would be better to ask such a woman on the spot "how is it going to work?" rather than being "condescending" and saying nothing.

"You go and ask 100 women in the street whether they would like me to deal with it that way, or whether they would like me to be condescending, follow all the rules in an eco-friendly green office, with six human resources managers around me," he said.