A contestant on the upcoming series of The Apprentice has issued a public apology after a series of offensive historical social media posts were uncovered just days before the show's launch.
Offensive Posts from the Past
Levi Hague, a 33-year-old entrepreneur and former RAF worker, is facing significant backlash for comments made over a decade ago. The posts, which have since been deleted from X (formerly Twitter), reportedly expressed support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, referred to police officers as 'pigs', and used derogatory language towards women.
One particularly inflammatory post from the early 2010s read: 'Thank f*** that extremist dirty Muslim preacher getting took out of this country. Just a waste of money and waste of space. F*** off.' Hague is one of the candidates competing for a £250,000 investment and a business partnership with Lord Alan Sugar when the new series begins on January 29, 2026.
Apology and Internal Reviews Launched
Following questions from MP Nigel Huddleston, the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Hague issued a full apology. 'I am ashamed and embarrassed to have made these posts over a decade ago,' he stated. 'I offer my sincere apologies to all who I’ve offended... They are not a reflection of the values I uphold today.'
He admitted he did not disclose the account to producers during vetting. In response, the production company Naked and the BBC have both launched urgent investigations. A spokesperson for Naked, which produces the show, said their third-party background checks had 'clearly failed' to flag the content and promised a review. The BBC labelled the comments 'abhorrent and totally unacceptable'.
A Pattern of Controversy for The Apprentice
This incident echoes a similar controversy from the 2024 series, where contestant Asif Munaf was accused of sharing antisemitic and racist posts. Munaf was later dropped from the spin-off show You’re Fired! after allegedly continuing to make offensive remarks even after receiving diversity training arranged by the BBC.
The recurrence of such issues has led to serious questions about the robustness of the show's pre-screening process for candidates. Both the production company and the broadcaster are now under pressure to ensure their vetting procedures are stringent enough to prevent future scandals as the new series prepares to air.
