Lord Alan Sugar has thrown his weight behind Boris Johnson’s campaign to become prime minister, saying he has the best chance of winning a general election.

Taking to Twitter, the Apprentice star said: “I seriously back @BorisJohnson to be the new PM.

“The public like him and he will have a good chance of winning the general election in 2021 if not before. Any one who can stop @jeremycorbyn from becoming PM has my backing.”

The former Labour peer, who resigned from the party in 2015, has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Mr Corbyn.

Last year, he vowed to leave the country if the Labour leader ever becomes prime minister.

In an interview with the Press Association, Lord Sugar said: “I think that Boris will get the job and from my point of view I will be pleased with that, because I’m thinking beyond Brexit and to the next election and I think Boris is actually quite liked by the population.

“And while the population should not vote for a person they like, they should vote for the policies, the reality is they don’t. They vote for someone who they like. And Boris has got a good chance because he’s a likeable chap and from my point of view, anybody who can stop Corbyn being elected, I would back them.”

He also questioned whether reports that Mr Johnson had said “f*** business” at a diplomatic gathering last year were factual.

It marks an about-turn from the Amstrad founder’s previous remarks on Mr Johnson.

In October last year, he said in the House of Lords that the former foreign secretary should be prosecuted alongside his fellow Conservative leadership candidate Michael Gove for claims they made during the EU referendum campaign.

Alys Key is Press Association City Reporter.