Food blogger and poverty campaigner Jack Monroe is suing Katie Hopkins for defamation for a deleted tweet in which the Daily Mail columnist made accusations of supporting the vandalising of a war memorial in London and then admitting she’d mixed up Monroe with another writer.

The offending tweets, posted by Hopkins in May 2015, surrounded a heated online war of words on both sides of the debate when a 'Women of WWII' memorial was defaced with the words: “F*** Tory scum.” Hopkins, issuing a Tweet to Monroe, took offence to the activists daubing the memorial with the slogan and named her as a supporter of the vandalism:

[Twitter/MxJackMonroe]

Hopkins had meant to direct the message towards another journalist, Laura Penny, who when asked to comment of the defacement of the memorial said: "I don't have a problem with this. The bravery of past generations does not oblige us to be cowed today."

Monroe then replied with the following Tweet to Hopkins, at which point the columnist, known for her incendiary comments on polemic issues, deleted her message:

I have NEVER 'scrawled on a memorial'. Brother in the RAF. Dad was a Para in the Falklands. You're a piece of shit. https://t.co/0IGhgT5BoI

— jack monroe (@MxJackMonroe) May 18, 2015

Monroe then asked for a public apology from Hopkins, along with a £5000 donation to a charity dealing with migrant welfare, telling Hopkins "It'll be cheaper for you," to which Hopkins replied with a tweet insulting both Monroe and Laura Penny.

Can someone explain to me - in 10 words or less - the difference between irritant @PennyRed and social anthrax @MsJackMonroe

— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) May 18, 2015

The Press Gazette is reporting that Monroe is now seeking £50,000 (€65,000) in damages, claiming that Hopkins damaged her reputation in the eyes of the law. The paper reports that the Mail Online columnist is yet to file a defence in the action against her.

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