Max Mosley has today issued proceedings against the News of the World for libel.

A press release issued by his lawyers, Steeles Law, reads: "Following his successful privacy claim, and the attempts by the editor and staff of the News of the World to devalue the outcome of that claim, Mr Mosley will now be pursuing a claim for damages and aggravated damages in relation to defamatory allegations in the 6th April edition of the News of the World."

It is understood that Mosley is also issuing a similar action against Bild, one of Germany's biggest newspapers, with talk of further actions against newspapers in France and Italy.

On Thursday, in the High Court in London, Mosley won his case against the News of the World for its invasion of his privacy, the Englishman receiving record damages - for such a case - of £60,000.

The reason for Mosley's action, and the subsequent libel actions is not the fact that he took part in an S&M session with five prostitutes, which he always admitted, but the tabloid's claim that there was a Nazi theme to the session. In his ruling, Mr Justice Eady said he could find no evidence of such a theme.

Outside the court yesterday, Mosley said: "This judgment has nailed the Nazi lie upon which the News of the World sought to justify their disgraceful intrusion into my private life."