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  1. Media Law
July 7, 2016

Likening Alan Sugar to ‘spiv’ Sir Philip Green in headline costs Daily Mail ‘£20,000’

By Dominic Ponsford

Alan Sugar has said that the Daily Mail has paid him £20,000 after describing him as a “spiv” in a headline.

The Stephen Glover column from 26 May was headlined: “If Dave thinks hiring spivs like Sir Philip Green and Lord Sugar makes him look cool, he needs a Reality Tsar!”

Last week the Daily Mail published a clarification about the article which said: “An article published on May 26 described Lord Sugar as a ‘spiv’. This word may be understood to describe a person who is dishonest in his business dealings. We are happy to confirm that this was not the intended meaning, as indeed the article stated he is honest and hard working.”.

Today Lord Sugar said on Twitter: “The scum @DailyMailUK now humiliated had to pay me 20k for calling me a spiv. I will donate this to GOSH . Enjoy!”

And he posted a picture of himself online carrying a huge cheque.

He also said: “The scum @DailyMailUK called me a spiv. I got my lawyers onto them which resulted in this humiliating retraction.”

Press Gazette understands that the payment was made by the Daily Mail to Sugar to cover his legal costs and on the understanding that an amount would go to charity.

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