Phil Shiner, who is acting on behalf of relatives of Iraqis allegedly killed by UK troops, is set to take libel action against Associated Newspapers, he told the Gazette this week.

Mr Shiner, the head of Birmingham firm Public Interest Lawyers, said the action stemmed from articles that appeared in the Daily Mail and Associated's Birmingham newspapers during the last week.

Mr Shiner said he also intended to complain to the Press Complaints Commission.

One comment article in the Daily Mail claimed that Mr Shiner was a 'publicity-grabbing', 'poison-tongued' lawyer.

Mr Shiner - who has instructed London firm Campbell Hooper to act for him - told the Gazette: 'This personal stuff has been hugely upsetting for my family.' Mr Shiner this week won the right for his clients to have a hearing into the decision by the government not to hold independent inquiries into their relatives' deaths.

A spokeswoman for the Daily Mail said the paper had no comment at this stage.

Jeremy Fleming