Lady Archer's clash with baroness

Both are formidable women and today their long-simmering spat boiled over on air.

Mary Archer, the glacial and intellectual wife of disgraced peer Jeffrey Archer rounded on abrasive parliamentarian Emma Nicholson after months of friction over suggestions that millions of pounds in charity funds had vanished.

Lady Archer's celebrated coolness plunged to permafrost level when she acknowledged an apology from life peer Baroness Nicholson over allegations that Lord Archer had misappropriated funds raised for Kurdish refugees in the Simple Truth appeal 10 years ago.

But when the apology came, under the scrutiny of James Naughtie on Radio4's Today programme, both women took up the positions that have pitched them against each other since Lord Archer was jailed last summer.

Lady Archer's case is that Baroness Nicholson had clearly said that Lord Archer misappropriated money raised for Iraqi Kurds. Lady Archer said: "She said to the chairman of the public accounts committee that they should invite investigation on funding that went to Jeffrey Archer from the government of the day and she wrote to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police asking for an investigation. She most clearly implied that he had misappropriated money."

But did she? Baroness Nicholson robustly questioned Lady Archer's version of events. She said: "I said - I have my words in front of me - that I was concerned-I knew well the difference-between claims of raising money and actually watching it reach people on the ground. And there's a big gulf there. I did not at any time pretend to suggest that Jeffrey Archer had stolen money from the British Red Cross nor indeed that anybody else had stolen money.

"What I want to know, however, is what happened to those funds. The Kurds told me at the time they were not reaching them." Lady Archer countered: "My point is that there was no wrongdoing on Jeffrey's part. I'm very pleased that Baroness Nicholson has apologised to the family and now accepts that."

Does she? Baroness Nicholson said: "The Red Cross and Jeffrey Archer gave a very public press conference on how to raise £57 million in four weeks. I'm not objecting to anyone raising money at all, what I'm concerned about is what happens to the money..."

Mr Naughtie ventured: "It does suggest that you are raising questions about where this money went in a way that can only to many people imply that he did something improper."

The Baroness came back with a perplexing: "I don't know why that implication should be drawn." She was not suggesting anybody stole the money.

This appeared to be news to Lady Archer who spoke of an "unfounded allegation". She said: "I wanted to establish that Jeffrey was hurt both personally and procedurally by it."

The Red Cross, which backed Archer's Simple Truth Appeal, has said no money ever disappeared - £57 million was never raised. The figure was ? 8million and that was accounted for.

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