Major picks Pinsents to fight New Statesman

John Major has finally instructed lawyers to handle any possible litigation against the New Statesman arising from the Edwina Currie affair. Pinsent Curtis Biddle will represent the former Prime Minister. Major won at least £27,000 from the New Statesman in 1993 after the magazine repeated false claims made in the now defunct Scallywag magazine that he was having an affair with a Downing Street caterer. The issue of Major's libel action has been reopened after Currie's revelation that she had a four-year relationship with him up to 1988. The New Statesman has now written to Major demanding that he repays the costs of the 1993 libel action. Major has instructed partner David Hooper of Pinsents, who also represented him in his 1993 libel action against the New Statesman and Scallywag. The New Statesman has instructed David Price of David Price & Co. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com/lawyernews on 9 October