Eddy Shah, the former newspaper tycoon, has sought to clarify comments in which he suggested underage girls who engage in consensual sex must “take the blame” for the abuse they suffer.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5, his first since being cleared of raping a teenager in the 1990s, Mr Shah said that historically “rape was a technical thing – below a certain age”.

Clarifying his comments, Mr Shah said: “I was arguing that we need more checks and balances to ensure these things do not happen to our young people. We should have identity cards for all and better internet control.”