19 OCTOBER 1996, Page 38

All wrong

Sir: In his Media studies column of 5 October, Stephen Glover commented on the Guardian's efforts, by forged fax, to obtain a copy of my Ritz hotel bill in 1993 and went on to say, 'The bill seemed to show that about one half had been paid by Mr Al Fayed.'

This is entirely wrong, for it has not been alleged by the Guardian, by Mr AI Fayed, or so far as I am aware by anyone else, that Mr Al Fayed paid any part of my bill at the Ritz hotel. I have never met Mr Al Fayed, nor have I received any hospitality from him or had any dealings with him.

Jonathan Aitken

45 Great Peter Street, London SW1