Why it's better to dither a while before you Twitter

As acts of “mischievousness” go it was a very costly one. Last November Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John, logged on to social media site Twitter.

It was two days after a Newsnight report wrongly implicated former Conservative Party treasurer Lord McAlpine in allegations of sex abuse of children in the 1970s and 1980s.

Bercow made a decision that would have major implications for McAlpine, herself, and serve as a major warning for Twitter users. She wrote: “Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent face*”