15 November 2012 Last updated at 01:00 ET

BBC crisis: Lord McAlpine 'anger' over abuse claim

Lord McAlpine said he would have told Newsnight that the allegations were "complete rubbish"

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Crisis at the BBC

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A former senior Tory has told of his anger after a BBC Newsnight report led to him being wrongly implicated in child abuse allegations.

Lord McAlpine told BBC Radio 4's The World at One he should have been contacted beforehand.

He said about being wrongly under suspicion: "You just think there's something wrong with the world."

Some of those involved in deciding to run the report on care homes in north Wales face disciplinary measures.

'Extremely bad'

Lord McAlpine told The World at One: "Of course they [the BBC] should have called me and I would have told them exactly what they learnt later on."

He continued: "That it was complete rubbish and that I'd only ever been to Wrexham once in my life. They could have saved themselves a lot of agonising and money, actually, if they'd just made that telephone call."

The peer was asked about London Mayor Boris Johnson's comment that to call someone a paedophile was to "consign them to the lowest circle of hell - and while they're still alive".

He replied: "Absolutely. I think it describes pretty much what happened to me in the first few days of this event.

"It gets into your bones. It gets into, it makes you angry. And that's extremely bad for you to be angry. And it gets into your soul and you just think there's something wrong with the world."

Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid said he was hopeful an agreement would be reached with the BBC on Thursday - but that his client was aware that any payment would ultimately come from licence fee payers.

Acting director general Tim Davie took charge of the BBC following the resignation of George Entwistle in the wake of the Newsnight broadcast.

Mr Davie has vowed to "get a grip of the situation".

An inquiry into the Newsnight broadcast - conducted by Ken MacQuarrie, director of BBC Scotland - has identified "unacceptable" failings and said basic journalistic checks were not completed.

A summary of the findings has been released by the corporation, which said the full report would be issued after the completion of disciplinary proceedings.

It added that "there was a different understanding by the key parties about where the responsibility lay for the final editorial sign off for the story on the day".

The head of BBC Northern Ireland, Peter Johnston, said he had a role in the decision-making of the Newsnight report but was not considering his position.

A BBC spokesman confirmed Mr Johnston's involvement "in decisions about the BBC Newsnight report".

Three Conservative MPs called for funding to be withdrawn from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) which was involved in the Newsnight investigation into the historical north Wales child abuse allegations.

Chain of command

Mr Entwistle resigned after eight weeks as BBC director general, following the Newsnight report.

The BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy, Steve Mitchell, have been asked to "step aside" pending an internal review into the way abuse claims about Jimmy Savile were handled.

The corporation said it found that neither Ms Boaden nor her deputy Mr Mitchell "had anything at all to do with the failed Newsnight investigation into Lord McAlpine".

But they were in the chain of command at the time Newsnight dropped an earlier investigation into abuse claims against former BBC presenter Jimmy Savile.

They have removed themselves from making decisions on some areas of BBC News output while a separate inquiry, chaired by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard, is held into that decision.

The BBC said once the Pollard Review reported, Ms Boaden and Mr Mitchell "expect to then return to their positions".

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9 November 2012 Last updated at 17:57 ET

BBC apologises for Newsnight child abuse report

Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid: "We have to look at Newsnight and the way in which they behaved"

The BBC has issued an unreserved apology for a Newsnight report which led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly implicated in the alleged sexual abuse of children at north Wales care homes.

It comes after a victim, Steve Messham, apologised to the former Tory treasurer after saying he did not assault him.

Newsnight had reported Mr Messham's claims against a leading 1980s Tory politician but did not name him.

The BBC also announced an "immediate pause" in all Newsnight investigations.

Earlier, Lord McAlpine said the claims were "wholly false and seriously defamatory".

His solicitor, Andrew Reid, said the peer will take legal action against those who later named and linked him to the claims.

The BBC's statement said: "On 2 November, Newsnight broadcast a report that looked into criticism of the North Wales Abuse Tribunal.

"The report included an interview with Steve Messham, an abuse victim who said that a senior political figure of the time had abused him.

"We broadcast Mr Messham's claim but did not identify the individual concerned. Mr Messham has tonight made a statement that makes clear he wrongly identified his abuser and has apologised.

"We also apologise unreservedly for having broadcast this report."

The BBC said that, on Friday night, director general George Entwistle had ordered the following actions:

• Sending in a senior news executive to "supervise" Friday night's edition of Newsnight
• An apology broadcast on Friday's programme
• An "immediate pause in all Newsnight investigations to assess editorial robustness and supervision"
• Commissioning BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie to write an "urgent report for the DG covering what happened on this Newsnight investigation"
• An "immediate suspension" of all co-productions with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism which Newsnight worked with on the programme

Mr Messham, a former resident of the Bryn Estyn home, last week told Newsnight he had been abused by a senior politician of the Thatcher era.

Steve Messham has apologised for incorrectly identifying Lord McAlpine as his abuser

He called for a new investigation claiming a report by Sir Ronald Waterhouse in 2000 had not uncovered the full scale of the abuse.

Mr Messham said police had shown him a picture of his abuser but incorrectly told him the man was Lord McAlpine.

He has offered "sincere and humble apologies" to the peer and his family.

In a statement on Friday evening Mr Messham said: "After seeing a picture in the past hour of the individual concerned, this [is] not the person I identified by photograph presented to me by the police in the early 1990s, who told me the man in the photograph was Lord McAlpine."

He later told BBC News he was "actually mortified" when he realised.

He said recent coverage of the scandal had "brought everything back to the fore but I just want justice for everybody and hope we get justice for everybody".

"But I certainly don't want the wrong people accused, that is also wrong.

"That's why I'm speaking out now and I hope people believe what I say. I am sincerely sorry."

North Wales Police said it would be inappropriate to comment on Mr Messham's allegations about the mix-up over identifying the picture "because an investigation is ongoing".

'Seriously defamatory'

Earlier Lord McAlpine's solicitor, Andrew Reid, said the peer had "no choice" but to take legal action over claims linking him to abuse at Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham.

The solicitor also criticised the way Newsnight aired Mr Messham's claims last week.

Lord McAlpine, who was Conservative Party treasurer from the late 1970s until 1990, said: "I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature."

Lord McAlpine, whose grandfather founded the McAlpine construction firm, is a life peer who took the title of Baron McAlpine of West Green in Hampshire.

He became Conservative Party Treasurer in the late 1970s and held the post until 1990. He now lives in Italy.

Lord McAlpine said: "I do not suggest that Mr Messham is malicious in making the allegations of sexual abuse about me.

"If he does think I am the man who abused him all those years ago I can only suggest that he is mistaken and that he has identified the wrong person."

On Tuesday the Home Secretary Theresa May announced a new police inquiry into the allegations of child abuse in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mrs May said the head of the National Crime Agency would lead the inquiry.

Separately Mrs Justice Macur will investigate the terms of the Waterhouse abuse inquiry, which began in 1996.

The Home Office said there would be no change to the inquiries announced by Mrs May, following the statements by Mr Messham and Lord McAlpine.

Newsnight is already the subject of a BBC inquiry, headed by ex-Sky News boss Nick Pollard, into why the programme dropped an investigation into sexual abuse claims against Savile last year.

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9 November 2012 Last updated at 13:31 ET

Lord McAlpine gets man's apology over abuse claims

Steve Messham met Welsh Secretary David Jones earlier this week

A former resident of a north Wales care home has apologised for making false allegations of sexual abuse against a Conservative politician.

Steve Messham said a case of mistaken identity had led to peer Lord McAlpine being linked to the historical claims.

It comes as the solicitor for Lord McAlpine, 70, threatened legal action against those who had named him in connection with the allegations.

Mr Messham offered "sincere and humble apologies to him and his family".

In a statement on Friday evening, he said: "After seeing a picture in the past hour of the individual concerned, this [is] not the person I identified by photograph presented to me by the police in the early 1990s, who told me the man in the photograph was Lord McAlpine."

Earlier Lord McAlpine's solicitor, Andrew Reid, said the peer had "no choice" but to take legal action over claims linking him to abuse at Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham.

'Seriously defamatory'

Mr Reid said the claims were "false and seriously defamatory" to Lord McAlpine, who was Conservative Party treasurer from the late 1970s until 1990.

The solicitor was critical of the BBC's Newsnight, on which Mr Messham's claims were aired last week, although no-one was named.

The BBC said the Newsnight broadcast had voiced concerns raised by an abuse victim, in the public interest.

Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid: "We have to look at Newsnight and the way in which they behaved"

Mr Messham, a former resident of the Bryn Estyn children's home, last week told Newsnight that he had been abused by an unnamed, senior politician of the Thatcher era at the home.

He called for a new investigation claiming a report by Sir Ronald Waterhouse in 2000 had not uncovered the full scale of the abuse.

In a statement also on Friday, Lord McAlpine said he had been subsequently named on the internet and by implication by other media over the claims and was issuing a denial "to set the record straight".

Lord McAlpine said he wanted to "tackle these slurs and set the record straight".

He said: "I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature.

"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls-Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear aftershave, all of which have been alleged.

"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham."

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9 November 2012 Last updated at 12:29 ET

Lord McAlpine 'to take legal action' over abuse claims

Lord McAlpine issued his response amid claims over abuse at a north Wales children's home

Lord McAlpine has "no choice" but to take legal action over claims of abuse at a north Wales children's home, the Conservative peer's solicitor has said.

Andrew Reid said claims linking the peer to alleged historical child abuse were "false and seriously defamatory".

The solicitor was critical of the BBC's Newsnight, on which claims were made although no-one was named.

The BBC said the Newsnight broadcast had voiced concerns raised by an abuse victim, in the public interest.

Steve Messham, a former resident of the Bryn Estyn children's home in Wrexham, claimed on Newsnight that he had been abused by an unnamed senior politician of the Thatcher era.

But in a statement on Friday Lord McAlpine, 70, who was Conservative Party treasurer from the late 1970s until 1990, said he had been named on the internet and by implication by other media over the claims.

Some newspapers on Friday reported that the peer had been a victim of mistaken identity.

Asked by BBC Radio 4's PM programme if Lord McAlpine would take legal action, Mr Reid said: "Sadly he has no choice.

"We need to take a number of different actions. Firstly to try to get this taken down from the internet which is not going to be easy.

"Then we have to look at Newsnight and.. the way in which they behaved, the way they trailed, they made it obvious who it was, or who they alleged it was by referring people to the internet.

"And all the others who have used the internet and just let people know where to go and find the answer because they made these statements recklessly."

A BBC spokeswoman said: "Newsnight broadcast an investigation into alleged failures in a child abuse inquiry. It worked with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism to give a voice to concerns raised by an abuse victim.

"It was in the public interest to air these. We did not name any public figure for legal reasons. It is now for the inquiries announced by the home secretary to dig deeper into Mr Messham's concerns."

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9 November 2012 Last updated at 05:59 ET

Lord McAlpine says abuse claims false and defamatory

Lord McAlpine issued his response amid claims over abuse at a North Wales children's home

Conservative peer Lord McAlpine has said allegations linking him to alleged historical child abuse are "wholly false and seriously defamatory".

The ex-treasurer released a statement after a man claimed he had been abused at a care home in Wrexham.

Lord McAlpine said he had visited Wrexham "only once" and that he had been in the company of an agent from Conservative Central Office.

He said he had "never" been to the children's home linked to the claims.

Lord McAlpine's denial comes after Steve Messham claimed on the BBC's Newsnight that he had been abused by a senior politician of the Thatcher era, who was not named.

In his statement, Lord McAlpine said: "I have never been to the children's home in Wrexham, nor have I ever visited any children's home, reform school or any other institution of a similar nature.

"I have never stayed in a hotel in or near Wrexham, I did not own a Rolls-Royce, have never had a 'Gold card' or 'Harrods card' and never wear aftershave, all of which have been alleged.

"I did not sexually abuse Mr Messham or any other residents of the children's home in Wrexham."

He said he had decided to "publicly tackle these slurs and set the record straight".

'Witch-hunt'

His statement comes after David Cameron said he feared a "witch-hunt" by those commenting online about child abuse allegations.

The prime minister was commenting on the This Morning programme after being unexpectedly handed a list of names of people who the ITV1 show's presenter said were being mentioned online as paedophiles.

Presenter Phillip Schofield, who said he had based the list on internet speculation, has been criticised for his actions during the live interview which had been addressing historical claims of a paedophile ring linked to No 10.

Mr Cameron, who did not look at the list, said he was "worried" that speculation about unproven allegations could lead to a "witch-hunt particularly against people who are gay" and advised anyone with evidence of abuse to go to the police.

London Mayor Boris Johnson branded it a "rum piece of journalism" and Labour's Chuka Umunna said it had been "foolish and irresponsible".

Meanwhile, TV regulator Ofcom said it had received complaints about the programme.

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