Rachel Riley and Tracy Ann Oberman threaten action over ‘horrendous abuse’

Countdown co-presenter Rachel Riley and former EastEnders actor Tracy Ann Oberman have threatened legal action against Twitter users who allegedly targeted them with “horrendous abuse” and harassment.

Both have repeatedly clashed with Labour supporters, particularly over Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of antisemitism allegations within Labour ranks.

Their lawyer Mark Lewis on Thursday said he was preparing to take potential action against up to 70 people for alleged libel or harassment of Riley and Oberman.

Riley said: “I have been advised by my solicitor that it would be inappropriate to make any comment.

“He is instructed to take such action as necessary in response to the horrendous abuse, libel and harassment that I have been subjected to.”

Lewis said he was contacting “between 60 and 70 people” who are “almost exclusively Labour supporters”.

He said: “I have been instructed by Rachel Riley and Tracy Ann Oberman to take action to enforce libel and harassment laws against people who have libelled and/or harassed them.”

Both have been left “quite clearly distressed” by the comments, he added.

Mr Corbyn this week reiterated that fighting antisemitism was an “absolute priority”, adding: “We are utterly determined to root out antisemitism from Party and our society.”