Sally Bercow could have settled with Lord McAlpine for just £15,000 if she had not tried to pursue her libel case in court, it has emerged.
The High Court ruled last month. that a tweet from Bercow which read “Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*” wrongly implied Lord McAlpine was connected to an abuse scandal featured in a Newsnight report and was libellous. Bercow, married to Commons speaker John Bercow, now faces damages which could total £176,000.
Lord McAlpine’s solicitor, Andrew Reid, told The Telegraph Bercow’s decision to take the case to court was “bizarre” after being offered a settlement on £15,000 by the Tory peer in January. Following the ruling, Bercow will have to cover Lord McAlpine’s legal costs.
It was reported earlier in the week that Bercow had started selling some of her furniture items to raise money.