His never-disguised political aspirations are in tatters, his Conservative Party has withdrawn his right to sit in the upper chamber of parliament and police are considering criminal charges after he urged a friend to lie on his behalf.

And today the Daily Star newspaper said it wanted the money back -- with interest -- that the millionaire writer won in a libel suit against it 12 years ago.

The Star had to pay Archer damages of 500,000 pounds 810,000 dollars as well as 700,000 pounds in legal costs for alleging he had slept with a prostitute.

On Monday, it said it was sending a legal demand to Archer for three million pounds -- the original damages and costs plus interest -- and was re-examining the libel verdict.

``We can also reveal that we have had a number of calls leading to new lines of inquiry,'' it said.

The Daily Mailheaded its story ``Outcast'' and said the Conservatives were considering expelling archer from the party.

The novelist has maintained an uncharacteristic silence since he was forced to withdraw as the conservative candidate for mayor of London, shutting himself away in his home while reporters camp outside round the clock.

His ``Vote Archer'' badges, balloons and posters will be destroyed when his campaign office is closed down at the end of the week, the Times newspaper reported today.

But things may get worse still.

Ted Francis, who Archer asked to give a fictional alibi for him in connection with the libel trial, has said he plans to spell out more allegations against his former friend after taping their telephone conversations for 20 years.

Max Clifford, the publicist who placed the alibi story in the press, declined to say what was in store. ``Wait and see,'' he said on Monday.

The Conservative Party, scrambling to find another mayoral candidate, said on Monday it would no longerallow Archer to represent it in the House of Lords.

Party chairman Michael Ancram said the allegations against Archer would be put to the party's integrity and ethics committee, which would be looking into two matters.

The first was that Archer had in the summer given false assurances that no new scandals would emerge. The second was his admission over the weekend that he had fabricated an alibi.

Conservative leader William Hague, who trails the ruling Labour Party in opinion polls, insisted his party could still win the mayoral election in May.

Businessman and former transport minister Steven Norris, who came second to Archer in the conservative nomination race, appears the most likely candidate but must first negotiate the selection procedure again.

Former prime minister John Major dismissed reports he was interested in the job but that did not stop bookmakers William Hill from laying odds of 25-1 that he would be the candidate.

Archer's spokesman said yesterday that archer was ``devastated'' bythe revelations and accepted that he had no future with the Conservative Party.