South Dorset MP Ian Bruce has been involved in a bitter on-battle with a Conservative academic who accused him of supporting the euro and European federalism.

Mr Bruce threatened to sue university lecturer Sean Gabb who has set up a web site that attempts to list whether Tory MPs and potential candidates are for or against European integration.

When the site was launched last month Mr Bruce was classified as a europhile - generally enthusiastic about European Union integration and supportive of the euro.

But the MP, who counts himself a eurosceptic, was outraged when he was in fought by e-mail. He sent to an electronic message demanding a retraction and apology and threatening a libel suit.

The entire correspondence has been posted on the Web site, complete with three spelling mistakes and a grammatical error by the irate MP.

Mr Bruce's first note began: "I hope you are very rich."

Dr Gabb replied he was astonished at the menacing tone of Mr Bruce's letter and offered only to reclassify him as someone who had avoided stating a clear position, took the party line regardless, or about whom not enough information was known. It took two more, increasingly robust denials from Mr Bruce - in which he included a summary of his opposition to the euro - for Dr Gabb to change his status in the list to eurosceptic.

The academic, who protested at the "almost hysterical threats of civil and criminal action" from Mr Bruce, replied to his last e-mail at two minutes to midnight and assured the MP he would make the amendment before going to bed that night.

The MP said he was still considering whether to go ahead with a libel action and took deep offence at the suggestion that he had not been open with constituents about his views on Europe. Mr Bruce said, "I find it very distasteful that self-appointed individuals put totally inaccurate information out in that format and I don't need to justify myself to people like that."

The web site address is: www.candidlist.demon.co.uk