Archer: My 'immense sympathy' for Rifkind and Straw

The best-selling author and peer Lord Archer tells 5 live Afternoon Edition's Sarah Brett he feels "immense sympathy" for former Labour Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, and former Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, over the so-called cash-for-access controversy.

Jeffrey Archer was speaking as news emerged that Sir Malcolm is to resign as an MP at the general election, and will be stepping down as chairman of the Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee. Both he and Jack Straw, who was already planning to retire as an MP at the May's general election, have denied any wrongdoing.

Lord Archer paid tribute to the two men, expressing his hope that the affair won't "cloud forty years of service to their party and their country" and warned the wider fallout from the controversy over MPs' incomes could mean "we're going to lose some awfully good people" from politics.

This clip is originally from Afternoon Edition on Tuesday 24 February 2014.