Britain's media regulator said on Thursday it had started investigations into the airing of child abuse allegations by the BBC and ITV.

The BBC and ITV have both started their own disciplinary proceedings after false allegations were aired earlier this month against a leading Conservative Party figure from the 1980s who has threatened to sue for damages.

"The first (investigation) relates to a Newsnight report broadcast on 2 November into child sex abuse allegations," Ofcom said in a statement.

"The second relates to the disclosure of a list of individuals alleged to be linked to child sex abuse on ITV's This Morning, broadcast on 8 November," it added in a statement. – Reuters