It was the News of the World that first broke the story in 1986 of Archer’s meeting with prostitute Monica Coughlin.
The Daily Star alleged Archer had sex with Coughlin and Archer successfully sued them for £500,000 in a highprofile libel case.
Star editor Lloyd Turner was sacked as a result. In 1999, Archer was bidding to become London mayor when the NoW revealed that Dick Francis had been asked by his friend Archer to provide a false alibi.
The revelations lead to a criminal court case in 2001 where Archer was sentenced to four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.
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