'These silly people' - Lord Sugar goes off-topic to talk about Archway Sheet Metal Works case after 'biggest obstacle' question

Archway Sheet Metal Works, the only remaining business on the land set out for the new stadium, recently lost a High Court appeal against a compulsory purchase order allowing the project to go ahead.

The subject came up during Lord Sugar’s visit to Tottenham University Technical College (UTC) in High Road, Tottenham, part of the Northumberland Development Project that includes the stadium.

During a question and answer session, one pupil asked: “What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome in your career?”

The former Tottenham Hotspur chairman responded: “Some people moan about obstacles but I look at them like hurdles at the Grand National, they all must be overcome and business is the Grand National on a huge scale.

“An example of obstacles is these silly people (Archway Sheet Metal Works) holding back the new stadium here and the regeneration of Haringey and Tottenham despite the law telling them to pack it in.

“They are not just holding up the wonderful new stadium but also the wider progress of the area.

“What they must realise is that this isn’t just about feathering their own pockets but about the wider progress of the area.”

Lord Sugar was at Tottenham UTC for its official opening along with former education secretary Lord Baker.

A spokesman for Archway Sheet Metal Works said: “These comments feel unfair especially as we are now subject to a compulsory purchase order.”

Despite the failure of the appeal, the metal fabrication company still has the right to challenge that decision directly at the Court of Appeal.

The Josif family, who own the business, are yet to indicate whether or not they intend to make a further appeal.