McAlpine drops Twitter users action

Lord McAlpine is dropping defamation claims against Twitter users with fewer than 500 followers who wrongly named him as a paedophile, instead asking for a charitable donation.

The Tory peer, who has already received six-figure payouts from the BBC and ITV, said he wanted to draw the "unfortunate episode" to a close.

He has now written to Twitter users with fewer than 500 followers, asking them to make a voluntary donation of £25 to the BBC's Children in Need as soon as possible.