Alan Sugar and Louise Mensch in Twitter row

{jcomments on}Business tycoon Alan Sugar and Conservative MP Louise Mensch became entangled in a war of words on Twitter.

The MP for Corby, in Northamptonshire, was caught up in a Twitter argument with Lord Sugar on Saturday over her comments about alleged phone-hacking at the Daily Mirror. Her comments at the media, sports and culture select committee on Tuesday about alleged hacking at the tabloid newspaper had already provoked the wrath of its former editor Piers Morgan. The two clashed on CNN following her comments as the Tory MP refused to repeat her comments outside of Parliament – where she is protected by parliamentary privilege.

The row with Lord Sugar on Twitter was over those comments at the select committee as the tycoon accused the MP of abusing parliamentary privilege and for not repeating her comments when asked to do so. Lord Sugar wrote “Louise Mensch should be fired by Cameron for abuse of parliamentary privilege. Last night on Newsnight shown to be a liar. Media Wannabe“. However, Mensch was quick to reply to Sugar’s comments and criticised him for his comments – made previously – about employing pregnant women. Mensch called Lord Sugar a “disgrace to the Labour party”.

The war of words between the two continued as Lord Sugar once again called on the MP to repeat the comments she made at the select committee stating “Now stand by your words please don’t be a coward. If you didn’t lie what you got to lose.” The argument between the two didn’t end there and continued with Mensch finally telling the businessman to “Grow up”.

Louise Mensch, along with Labour’s Tom Watson, were seen as the “stars” of Tuesday’s select committee in which Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and later Rebekah Brooks appeared before a cross-party selection of MP’s to answer questions about phone-hacking at the News of the World.