Entrepreneur claims Conservative MP for Corby abused parliamentary privilege during select committee hearing
A war of words erupted between Alan Sugar and Conservative MP Louise Mensch on Twitter on Saturday over comments she made about alleged phone hacking at the Daily Mirror.
Lord Sugar accused the MP for Corby of abusing parliamentary privilege during a culture, media and sport select committee hearing on Tuesday where she incorrectly claimed Piers Morgan had admitted hacking into celebrities' phones when he edited the tabloid.
Sugar launched the astonishing attack after she refused to repeat her claims outside the hearing because she would not be protected by parliamentary privilege and would leave herself open to being sued.
He wrote: "Louise Mensch should be fired by Cameron for abuse of parliamentary privilege. Last night on Newsnight shown to be a liar. Media Wannabe".
Mensch responded that Lord Sugar should apologise for remarks he made about pregnant mums who are looking for employment, adding: 'Your comments disgrace the Labour party."
She was referring to comments made by Lord Sugar in a 2009 interview. When asked if he would employ an expectant mother, he said: "Why would anyone give anybody a job knowing ... unless it was a temporary job ... because if she was pregnant, then within three or four months she wouldn't be able to do the job, so if it was a temp job and you had a need, of course, why not?"
When questioned on giving a pregnant woman a full-time position he added: "She wouldn't be able to do it, would she? Well, yes, you'd hire her and then she'd go on maternity leave."
Sugar defended his comments and asked Mensch to repeat the comments she made at the hearing. He wrote: "Now stand by your words please don't be a coward. If you didn't lie what you got to lose."
Mensch later accused Sugar of also using privilege to make accusations about Brian Clough in a 1993 high court hearing in which he claimed that the former Nottingham Forest manager sought financial rewards for helping a transfer deal go smoothly.
She tweeted: "Saying something under privilege and never repeating outside? Two words: Brian Clough. Did you ever repeat your allegation?"
Sugar reacted angrily to the post, saying he had repeated the claims in his autobiography, adding: "I never hid by high court privilege. Who says so other than you? Come clean and stand by your word are you a COWARD or a LIAR."
The online spat lasted for several hours before Mensch ended the battle by signing off with: "Grow up. Goodnight."
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/24/alan-sugar-louise-mensch-twitter
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