Jeffrey Archer, the Tory Party's "comeback kid", was last night facing the grim prospect of a criminal investigation in the wake of the "false alibi" scandal.
It was revealed in yesterday's News of The World that Lord Archer asked a friend, Mr Ted Francis, to lie for him during his 1987 libel action in which he denied sleeping with the prostitute, Ms Monica Coghlan. Lord Archer sensationally withdrew from the race for London mayor on Saturday amid a storm of controversy over the revelations.
The Conservative Party's mayoral selection team was last night locked in emergency talks to try to find a replacement for the millionaire novelist. The team has stated that the entire selection process must start again from scratch and reports suggest that former Transport Minister Stephen Norris, who was decisively beaten by Mr Archer in the original selection ballot, is unlikely to stand again.
Lord Archer made a statement on Saturday responding to the News of The World's allegations: "Thirteen years ago, I asked a friend of mine, Ted Francis, to cover for me by saying that we were having dinner together, on the evening of September 9th, 1986, when in fact I was having dinner with a close female friend at a restaurant in Chelsea. This was the day before I was accused by a newspaper of having slept with the prostitute, Monica Coghlan. That accusation was false and, in the libel action that followed, I was fully vindicated and awarded u £500,000 in damages which I donated to charity."
Mr Francis had written a letter to Lord Archer's lawyer stating that they had been together on the night in question. Lord Archer had in fact been having dinner with his former personal assistant, Ms Andrina Colquhoun. Mr Francis told him earlier this month that their conspiracy - along with the letter - had been discovered by a third party, and their conversation recorded by the News of The World.
Their plan to mislead the court in the libel action against the Daily Star was never executed as the paper changed its story regarding which night Lord Archer had spent with the prostitute, and Mr Francis's "evidence" became irrelevant. Lord Archer now faces a criminal investigation however, and may be charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The revelations also open the door for Express Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Star, to appeal the u £500,000 ruling against it. Archer dumped from mayoral race and facing prospect of jail; Tory sleaze returns to haunt Hague and entertain the nation: page 9