The Apprentice star Alan Sugar has branded people who work from home “lazy gits” and called on those who refuse to return to the office to be fired.

In a string of controversial tweets, the face of the hit BBC show, argued people who work from home “should be paid less”.

In response to a segment on Good Morning Britain suggesting people who work from home should be paid more, he said: “@GMB are saying people who work from home should be paid more to keep warm as companies are saving money while the worker is away. RUBBISH, they have to pay rent, heating and rates with or without a full workplace. People should be paid less they are saving travel costs.”

Lord Sugar also claimed people were sat “watching golf and tennis at home” when they are supposed to be working.

He said: “Lazy gits watching golf and tennis at home while they supposed to be working. We the tax payer are paying the. Get them back to the office or fire them.”

At a time when more people are working from home than ever, his comments unsurprisingly sparked a fierce backlash.

One social media user said: “I thought you were a Labour man, obviously not if you're advocating that people get less pay. I used to admire you but I’ve realised lately you’re just a nasty piece of work.”

"What about the people who work from home who aren’t lazy gits and do hours upon hours of unpaid overtime because they’re dedicated to their jobs and believe since they’re saving time on travel they’ll do the extra work to help their company? Answer that one," Added another.

A third said: "Personally I hate working from home but it works for some, they can still do their jobs just as well and it takes cars off the road, making them safer and less polluting. Why is it such a big deal?"