McAlpine to take action against ‘a lot of people’

A lawyer for Lord McAlpine said the former Conservative Party treasurer will be taking legal action against “a lot of people” who linked his name with unfounded allegations of child sex abuse.

Solicitor Andrew Reid said legal letters would be sent not only to broadcasters — including ITV’s This Morning programme — but also to individuals who mentioned the peer’s name on the internet, particularly Twitter.

A number of well-known people were on a “very long list” of tweeters who mentioned McAlpine, Reid said, warning that their messages could end up costing them “a lot of money”.