A former aide to Margaret Thatcher, Lord McAlpine of West Green, has died aged 71.
He was today hailed as a 'towering' political figure who had been successful within and outside of public life.
In 2012 he was wrongly accused by the odious Left of being a paedophile, when allegations were the subject of a BBC investigation.
The allegations forced the corporation's then-director general, George Entwistle, to quit the role in November 2012 less than two months into taking it, saying that as editor-in chief he had to take 'ultimate responsibility' for a Newsnight investigation that had led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly accused of child abuse.
The BBC was also forced to apologise and issued a statement after abuse victim Steve Messham admitted that the man who abused him in the 1970s and 1980s was not the peer.
Lord McAlpine of West Green found himself at the centre of a storm of internet speculation after Mr Messham told BBC2's Newsnight he had been abused by a senior Conservative from the Thatcher era when he was a teenager at a north Wales children's home.
The Tory grandee later received damages from a string of internet users - including from left winger Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, and QI star Alan Davies - as a result of the defamatory messages on Twitter.
Last year The Telegraph said: Since Mrs Bercow had tweeted “Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*” at the height of the furore over (false) allegations aired by (BBC) Newsnight (that a senior Conservative had been involved in child abuse in the 1980s), this is a judgment (that it was defamatory) that for once is entirely consonant with common sense. There is a huge difference between “Why is Lord McAlpine trending?” and the same words with the addition of that faux-naive “*innocent face*”. To suggest otherwise defies credulity. Faux-naivety is the hallmark of the modern Left-wing smart alec (think BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz). Only a Martian could fail to recognise the semantics of the form.
It was mentioned in court that legal proceedings defending his name could have been having a 'detrimental' effect on the peer's health.
In his political days Lord McAlpine was famous for throwing lavish parties on behalf of the Conservative party, and bringing in as much as £100million in donations.
Inner circle Tories would be presented with champagne and lobster at grand events during party conferences during Margaret Thatcher’s time as leader.
He was remembered for appearing in shabby corduroy suits and a salmon-and-cucumber-coloured Garrick Club tie, welcoming his guests.
But the loyal former Thatcher aide changed his tune after she was ousted by her party in November 1990, to be replaced with John Major. He accused the new Prime Minister of ‘stuffing up a great party’, of running away from every issue and living in a fantasy world. He also called him ‘distasteful’.
BREAKING NEWS: Senior Tory Lord McAlpine who was wrongly caught up in child abuse scandal has died in his Italian home at the age of 71
Lord McAlpine of West Green died peacefully last night, his family said
He was Conservative deputy chairman and an aide to Margaret Thatcher
The peer was the wrongful target of speculation connected to child abuse
By Kieran Corcoran
18January 2014
Daily Mail
'Peaceful death': Lord McAlpine's family announced that he had died at home
Former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord McAlpine has died, his family has announced.
Lord McAlpine, 71, was previously an aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
He died last night in Italy, his family said.
In a statement, they said: 'It is with great sadness that the family of Lord McAlpine announce his peaceful death last night at his home in Italy.'
The former political adviser and businessman was recently wrongly implicated in a child abuse scandal, when allegations were the subject of a BBC investigation.
He was today hailed as a 'towering' political figure who had been successful within and outside of public life.
The allegations forced the corporation's then-director general, George Entwistle, to quit the role in November 2012 less than two months into taking it, saying that as editor-in chief he had to take 'ultimate responsibility' for a Newsnight investigation that had led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly accused of child abuse.
The BBC was also forced to apologise and issued a statement after abuse victim Steve Messham admitted that the man who abused him in the 1970s and 1980s was not the peer.
Lord McAlpine of West Green found himself at the centre of a storm of internet speculation after Mr Messham told BBC2's Newsnight he had been abused by a senior Conservative from the Thatcher era when he was a teenager at a north Wales children's home.
The peer was wrongly accused by some of being a paedophile.
Senior Conservative: Lord McAlpine, pictured left in 1998 and right in 1979, rose to the rank of deputy party chairman
Remembrance: David Cameron tweeted in response to the news
Solicitors for Lord McAlpine indicated that they were preparing to sue for defamation, saying their client's reputation had been left in 'tatters' as a result of the programme.
An investigation into the programme by the BBC Trust later said members of the team failed to follow the corporation's own editorial guidelines.
The Tory grandee later received damages from a string of internet users - including Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, and comedian Alan Davies - as a result of the defamatory messages on Twitter.
It was mentioned in court that legal proceedings defending his name could have been having a 'detrimental' effect on the peer's health.
During the hearing involving Mrs Bercow, Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid said his client offered to settle months earlier ‘in an attempt to avoid the detrimental effect of litigation on his health’.
Court battle: Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, pictured heading to the High Court, eventually withdrew her allegations and agreed to pay £15,000 in damages
Tweet: Sally Bercow was ordered to pay £15,000, which was donated to charity, after posting the above tweet
Ms Bercow agreed to pay Lord McAlpine £15,000 in damages for her infamous 'innocent face' tweet, which was posted at the height of the allegations.
The court also ruled that Mrs Bercow must apologise if she ever returned to Twitter. At present her account only has one post, which reads: 'I have apologised sincerely to Lord McAlpine in court – I hope others have learned tweeting can inflict real harm on people’s lives.’
QI star Alan Davies (left)
Actor, comedian and QI star Davies also paid damages after he retweeted a post to his followers which linked the peer's name to a television report about a 'senior political figure who is a paedophile'.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Lord McAlpine, whose death was confirmed today, was a 'dedicated supporter of Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative party'.
THE COLOURFUL POLITICAL LIFE OF LORD McALPINE
Colourful: Lord McAlpine pictured in 1994
In his political days Lord McAlpine was famous for throwing lavish parties on behalf of the Conservative party, and bringing in as much as £100million in donations.
Inner circle Tories would be presented with champagne and lobster at grand events during party conferences during Margaret Thatcher’s time as leader.
He was remembered for appearing in shabby corduroy suits and a salmon-and-cucumber-coloured Garrick Club tie, welcoming his guests.
But the loyal former Thatcher aide changed his tune after she was ousted by her party, to be replaced with John Major. He accused the new Prime Minister of ‘stuffing up a great party’, of running away from every issue and living in a fantasy world. He also called him ‘distasteful’.
But Mr Major shrugged off the barbs, once pointedly telling the Commons: ‘I understand that Lord McAlpine is promoting a book which is a work of fiction.’
Lord McAlpine stunned Westminster in 1996 by defecting to the Referendum Party, although he later returned to the Tories. In 2010 he stood down from the House of Lords to preserve his non-dom tax status.
Robert Alistair McAlpine, who had three daughters, was born in London on 14 May 1942.
His great grandfather was "Concrete Bob", Robert McAlpine, the first of the McAlpine baronets and the founder of the McAlpine construction firm. He is the second son of Ella Mary Gardner (Garnett) and Edwin McAlpine, the fifth Baronet, and the brother of William McAlpine, the sixth and current Baronet. He has described his childhood as "idyllic" but not luxurious. He went to boarding school at the age of six. He suffered from dyslexia and left Stowe School at 16. He then worked on a McAlpine building site on the South Bank, keeping time and dealing with wage packets.
McAlpine met Margaret Thatcher in 1975, the year she became the leader of the Conservative Party, at a dinner party, according to The Independent newspaper. She soon appointed him a treasurer of the Conservative Party, a position he would retain until 1990. They continued to have a close working relationship throughout her time as prime minister
He spent his final years living in Italy with third wife Athena, where they ran a bed and breakfast in a converted convent near Puglia.
He was also, in his time, a zoo-keeper, ornithologist, explorer and jewellery maker.
Read more: BREAKING NEWS: Senior Tory Lord McAlpine who was wrongly caught up in child abuse scandal has died in his Italian home at the age of 71 | Mail Online
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He was today hailed as a 'towering' political figure who had been successful within and outside of public life.
In 2012 he was wrongly accused by the odious Left of being a paedophile, when allegations were the subject of a BBC investigation.
The allegations forced the corporation's then-director general, George Entwistle, to quit the role in November 2012 less than two months into taking it, saying that as editor-in chief he had to take 'ultimate responsibility' for a Newsnight investigation that had led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly accused of child abuse.
The BBC was also forced to apologise and issued a statement after abuse victim Steve Messham admitted that the man who abused him in the 1970s and 1980s was not the peer.
Lord McAlpine of West Green found himself at the centre of a storm of internet speculation after Mr Messham told BBC2's Newsnight he had been abused by a senior Conservative from the Thatcher era when he was a teenager at a north Wales children's home.
The Tory grandee later received damages from a string of internet users - including from left winger Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, and QI star Alan Davies - as a result of the defamatory messages on Twitter.
Last year The Telegraph said: Since Mrs Bercow had tweeted “Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *innocent face*” at the height of the furore over (false) allegations aired by (BBC) Newsnight (that a senior Conservative had been involved in child abuse in the 1980s), this is a judgment (that it was defamatory) that for once is entirely consonant with common sense. There is a huge difference between “Why is Lord McAlpine trending?” and the same words with the addition of that faux-naive “*innocent face*”. To suggest otherwise defies credulity. Faux-naivety is the hallmark of the modern Left-wing smart alec (think BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz). Only a Martian could fail to recognise the semantics of the form.
It was mentioned in court that legal proceedings defending his name could have been having a 'detrimental' effect on the peer's health.
In his political days Lord McAlpine was famous for throwing lavish parties on behalf of the Conservative party, and bringing in as much as £100million in donations.
Inner circle Tories would be presented with champagne and lobster at grand events during party conferences during Margaret Thatcher’s time as leader.
He was remembered for appearing in shabby corduroy suits and a salmon-and-cucumber-coloured Garrick Club tie, welcoming his guests.
But the loyal former Thatcher aide changed his tune after she was ousted by her party in November 1990, to be replaced with John Major. He accused the new Prime Minister of ‘stuffing up a great party’, of running away from every issue and living in a fantasy world. He also called him ‘distasteful’.
BREAKING NEWS: Senior Tory Lord McAlpine who was wrongly caught up in child abuse scandal has died in his Italian home at the age of 71
Lord McAlpine of West Green died peacefully last night, his family said
He was Conservative deputy chairman and an aide to Margaret Thatcher
The peer was the wrongful target of speculation connected to child abuse
By Kieran Corcoran
18January 2014
Daily Mail
'Peaceful death': Lord McAlpine's family announced that he had died at home
Former Conservative Party deputy chairman Lord McAlpine has died, his family has announced.
Lord McAlpine, 71, was previously an aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
He died last night in Italy, his family said.
In a statement, they said: 'It is with great sadness that the family of Lord McAlpine announce his peaceful death last night at his home in Italy.'
The former political adviser and businessman was recently wrongly implicated in a child abuse scandal, when allegations were the subject of a BBC investigation.
He was today hailed as a 'towering' political figure who had been successful within and outside of public life.
The allegations forced the corporation's then-director general, George Entwistle, to quit the role in November 2012 less than two months into taking it, saying that as editor-in chief he had to take 'ultimate responsibility' for a Newsnight investigation that had led to Lord McAlpine being wrongly accused of child abuse.
The BBC was also forced to apologise and issued a statement after abuse victim Steve Messham admitted that the man who abused him in the 1970s and 1980s was not the peer.
Lord McAlpine of West Green found himself at the centre of a storm of internet speculation after Mr Messham told BBC2's Newsnight he had been abused by a senior Conservative from the Thatcher era when he was a teenager at a north Wales children's home.
The peer was wrongly accused by some of being a paedophile.
Senior Conservative: Lord McAlpine, pictured left in 1998 and right in 1979, rose to the rank of deputy party chairman
Remembrance: David Cameron tweeted in response to the news
Solicitors for Lord McAlpine indicated that they were preparing to sue for defamation, saying their client's reputation had been left in 'tatters' as a result of the programme.
An investigation into the programme by the BBC Trust later said members of the team failed to follow the corporation's own editorial guidelines.
The Tory grandee later received damages from a string of internet users - including Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, and comedian Alan Davies - as a result of the defamatory messages on Twitter.
It was mentioned in court that legal proceedings defending his name could have been having a 'detrimental' effect on the peer's health.
During the hearing involving Mrs Bercow, Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid said his client offered to settle months earlier ‘in an attempt to avoid the detrimental effect of litigation on his health’.
Court battle: Sally Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, pictured heading to the High Court, eventually withdrew her allegations and agreed to pay £15,000 in damages
Tweet: Sally Bercow was ordered to pay £15,000, which was donated to charity, after posting the above tweet
Ms Bercow agreed to pay Lord McAlpine £15,000 in damages for her infamous 'innocent face' tweet, which was posted at the height of the allegations.
The court also ruled that Mrs Bercow must apologise if she ever returned to Twitter. At present her account only has one post, which reads: 'I have apologised sincerely to Lord McAlpine in court – I hope others have learned tweeting can inflict real harm on people’s lives.’
QI star Alan Davies (left)
Actor, comedian and QI star Davies also paid damages after he retweeted a post to his followers which linked the peer's name to a television report about a 'senior political figure who is a paedophile'.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Lord McAlpine, whose death was confirmed today, was a 'dedicated supporter of Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative party'.
THE COLOURFUL POLITICAL LIFE OF LORD McALPINE
Colourful: Lord McAlpine pictured in 1994
In his political days Lord McAlpine was famous for throwing lavish parties on behalf of the Conservative party, and bringing in as much as £100million in donations.
Inner circle Tories would be presented with champagne and lobster at grand events during party conferences during Margaret Thatcher’s time as leader.
He was remembered for appearing in shabby corduroy suits and a salmon-and-cucumber-coloured Garrick Club tie, welcoming his guests.
But the loyal former Thatcher aide changed his tune after she was ousted by her party, to be replaced with John Major. He accused the new Prime Minister of ‘stuffing up a great party’, of running away from every issue and living in a fantasy world. He also called him ‘distasteful’.
But Mr Major shrugged off the barbs, once pointedly telling the Commons: ‘I understand that Lord McAlpine is promoting a book which is a work of fiction.’
Lord McAlpine stunned Westminster in 1996 by defecting to the Referendum Party, although he later returned to the Tories. In 2010 he stood down from the House of Lords to preserve his non-dom tax status.
Robert Alistair McAlpine, who had three daughters, was born in London on 14 May 1942.
His great grandfather was "Concrete Bob", Robert McAlpine, the first of the McAlpine baronets and the founder of the McAlpine construction firm. He is the second son of Ella Mary Gardner (Garnett) and Edwin McAlpine, the fifth Baronet, and the brother of William McAlpine, the sixth and current Baronet. He has described his childhood as "idyllic" but not luxurious. He went to boarding school at the age of six. He suffered from dyslexia and left Stowe School at 16. He then worked on a McAlpine building site on the South Bank, keeping time and dealing with wage packets.
McAlpine met Margaret Thatcher in 1975, the year she became the leader of the Conservative Party, at a dinner party, according to The Independent newspaper. She soon appointed him a treasurer of the Conservative Party, a position he would retain until 1990. They continued to have a close working relationship throughout her time as prime minister
He spent his final years living in Italy with third wife Athena, where they ran a bed and breakfast in a converted convent near Puglia.
He was also, in his time, a zoo-keeper, ornithologist, explorer and jewellery maker.
Read more: BREAKING NEWS: Senior Tory Lord McAlpine who was wrongly caught up in child abuse scandal has died in his Italian home at the age of 71 | Mail Online
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