Simon Cowell & Duncan Bannatyne slam Richard Branson and Victoria Beckham for using taxpayer cash to pay staff
SIMON Cowell and Duncan Bannatyne have taken aim at celebs like Richard Branson and Victoria Beckham for seeking taxpayer cash to pay their staff and save their companies.
Both Cowell and Bannatyne have both said they are using their own means to pay staff or keep their companies afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Virgin boss Branson has asked for a £500million taxpayer bailout to save Virgin Atlantic from collapse.
And meanwhile, Beckham told 30 employees at her fashion brand they are going to be put on a the Government's job retention scheme which pays up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
Dragon's Den star Bannatyne - who has a net worth of £300million - took to Twitter as he blasted Sir Richard during a row with another user.
He wrote: "I have gone to the Bank NOT the UK tax payer. The bank.
"A viable business will get money from a Bank."
The magnate also hit out at Branson's offer to mortgage Necker Island, his home in the Caribbean, as collateral with the UK government for a "commercial loan" - appearing to question whether it was worth the required sum.
Music mogul Cowell - who has an estimated net worth of £385million - meanwhile has agreed to continue to pay 50 full time staff who work at his Syco production company in London and Los Angeles.
He assured staff they will not be placed on furlough even though production has ceased on his TV shows in Britain and the US.
Last month, Cowell said: "I don’t like celebrities telling people what to do, and I know this is a hugely difficult time for so many — worries about family, health, jobs, paying the mortgage and feeding their family are at the forefront of people's minds.
"But there are still other people in business and in entertainment with resources available, so today it's those people I'm urging to rise to this enormous challenge."
Virgin Australia - of which Sir Richard owns around 10% - went into voluntary administration on Monday, April 20, after failing to secure a £720million government bailout.
Branson has appealed for taxpayer aid to help Virgin Atlantic rather than using his £4billion fortune - being the 312th richest person the world.
Sir Richard wrote an open letter to Virgin employees, insisting he did not have "cash in a bank account ready to withdraw".
He also defended his status as he has been accused of being a tax exile after moving to the British Virgin Islands 13 years ago.
The billionaire said Necker Island would be security for a"commercial loan" from the British government so he could try to save as many jobs as possible.
Bannatyne - who predicted his businesses will lose up to £30million, and has had to furlough staff - said Branson should "go to the bank for a loan not the hard working UK taxpayers".
He added he put £15million into his own businesses, saying it is "all I have".
Give now to The Sun's NHS appeal
BRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
But while they are helping save lives, who is there to help them?
The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers.
The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need.
We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it.
The Sun is donating £50,000 and we would like YOU to help us raise a million pounds, to help THEM.
No matter how little you can spare, please donate today here
www.
Meanwhile, Cowell continues to pay almost double the number of staff who Beckham - who along with husband David has an estimated net worth of £769million - has decided to furlough.
The X-Factor star also last month donated £1.3million to help charities struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Former Spice Girl Victoria meanwhile has been left "upset" after backlash over the decision to use the taxpayer scheme.
An insider told The Sun that Beckham was having the "worst week" after the criticism, with Piers Morgan being among voices slamming the fashion designer.
MOST READ IN NEWS
More than 140,000 companies employing a total of about a million workers have applied to the government's job furlough scheme.
Resolution Foundation, a UK based think tank, has estimated up to 8million UK workers could be furloughed - and predicted a total fee of at least £4.2billion over three months for the taxpayer based on day one applications alone.
And it is feared lockdown measures are not going to lift anytime soon, with chief medical officer Chris Whitty warning they could last into 2021.
Britain's total death toll rose again today to 18,100 thousand amid hopes the UK has now passed the first the peak of the crisis.
