16 JANUARY 1999, Page 24

Sir: The spelling of my surname was the most accurate

point in Derek 'Dolly' Drap- er's long whinge.

The disgraced lobbyist got that wrong (it's Maguire, not McGuire), so I leave readers to judge the accuracy of the rest of his piece on journalistic standards.

Denis Healey talked of being savaged by a dead sheep. With Dolly it's more like a dead lamb.

Kevin Maguire

The Mirror, c/o House of Commons Press Gallery, London SW1

Derek Draper replies: Why should I bother inventing a phone call tangential to my main case against Maguire? More signifi- cantly, why doesn't Maguire answer the specific points I made?