Child abuse claims covered up to protect senior MPs, inquiry finds

LONDON: The political establishment spent decades turning “a blind eye” to allegations of child sexual abuse, with high-profile politicians protected from police action as whips sought to avoid “gossip and scandal” which would damage the parties, a scathing report has found.

The long-awaited investigation into historical allegations against MPs, peers and civil servants working in Westminster found political institutions “significantly failed in their responses to allegations of child sexual abuse”.

It cited as an example the evidence of former Liberal party leader Lord Steel, who told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) last year how he failed to pass on allegations against prominent colleague Sir Cyril Smith, even though he believed them to be true, because it was “past history”. He later recommended Smith for a knighthood.

In a statement, Lord Steel said he struggled to hear while giving evidence, and was unable to clarify his evidence to the inquiry. He has now resigned from the Liberal Democrats and will resign as a member of the House of Lords “as soon as possible”.

He added: “Knowing all I know now, I condemn Cyril Smith’s actions towards children. “Not having secured a parliamentary scalp, I fear that I have been made a proxy for Cyril Smith.” The report found no evidence of a coordinated “paedophile ring” in Westminster, following claims by fantasist Carl Beech of its existence, and also stated there was no proof such a network was covered up by security services or police. But it said institutions “regularly put their own reputations or political interests before child protection”.

Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired the inquiry, said: “It is clear to see that Westminster institutions have repeatedly failed to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse, from turning a blind eye to actively shielding abusers. A consistent pattern emerged of failures to put the welfare of children above political status although we have found no evidence of an organised network of paedophiles within government.

“We hope this report and its recommendations will lead political institutions to prioritise the needs and safety of vulnerable children.” The report identified how former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and ex-Conservative party chairman Norman (now Lord) Tebbit were aware of rumours about MP Peter Morrison having “a penchant for small boys” but did nothing about it.

The report said the allegations “should have rung alarm bells in government”. But, instead, “considerations of political embarrassment and the risk to security were paramount, while the activities of an alleged child sexual abuser who held senior positions in government and the Conservative Party were deliberately overlooked, as was the course of public justice”.

Indeed, the inquiry found there was a “consistent culture for years” in the whips’ offices to “protect the image” of their party by “playing down rumours and protecting politicians from gossip or scandal at all costs”.

It meant victims’ interests were often overlooked, with many organisations failing to pass on allegations to police. The report also found senior diplomat Sir Peter Hayman was the beneficiary of “preferential, differential and unduly deferential treatment” over claims he sent obscene material in the post, following a meeting between his solicitor and the then-director of public prosecutions.

There was also “striking evidence” of how “wealth and social status insulated perpetrators of child sexual abuse” from being brought to justice, as in the case of Tory MP Victor Montagu.

The report stated: “A consistent pattern that has emerged from the evidence we have heard is a failure by almost every institution to put the needs and safety of children who have survived sexual abuse first.”

The report made a number of suggestions including changes to the Honours system, re-examining the policy over posthumous forfeiture of honours - which would strip knighthoods from the likes of disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile, and creating widespread and well-understood whistleblowing policies for all Westminster institutions.

The Government has also been urged to review its child safeguarding policies, and for all legitimate political parties to have a “comprehensive safeguarding policy” overseen by the watchdog.

Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, representing eight of Smith’s victims, said: “(Lord) Steel’s total inaction after being told by Smith himself that he had molested young boys is unforgivable, most of all for those victims whose abuse he could have stopped.

“To suggest Steel is a scapegoat, as some have done, is grasping at straws - a pathetic attempt to excuse a man who admitted he knowingly turned a blind eye to Smith’s crimes. He is not being blamed for them but for his own failure to stop Smith when he had the chance.

“This must surely now be the catalyst for a mandatory reporting law, compelling those who suspect child abuse to report their concerns, and for an end to this culture of deference towards those in power which allowed Smith to evade justice for so long.”

Public hearings into the Westminster strand of the inquiry were held over three weeks in March last year, with the panel saying its findings would look at how institutions handled complaints rather than investigating the credibility of allegations themselves.

During one hearing, Lord Steel denied “hiding his head in the sand” over child abuse allegations against Smith, but said he “assumed” the former Rochdale MP had abused teenagers at a hostel dating back to the 1960s. He told the inquiry: “These allegations all related to a period some years before he was even an MP and before he was even a member of the party, therefore it did not seem to me that I had any position in the matter at all.

“He accepted the story was correct. Obviously I disapproved but as far as I was concerned it was past history.”

On recommending Smith for a knighthood, Lord Steel said: “If I had any suspicion that these activities had been continuing or he had been involved in it as an MP I certainly would not have recommended him for a knighthood - that would have been my natural instinct.”

The Liberal Democrats said they would be “thoroughly reading” the report, but added: “Cyril Smith’s acts were vile and repugnant.”

They made no comment over the future of Lord Steel before he later announced his intentions.

The Westminster strand was one of more than a dozen being considered by the inquiry, set up in 2015 after the Jimmy Savile scandal following accusations of a paedophile ring among senior politicians in the capital.

The launch of the Met’s Operation Midland in 2014 saw dawn raids on the homes of the late Lord Bramall, the late Lord Brittan and former MP Harvey Proctor following a series of allegations by Beech - known during court proceedings as “Nick” - which were later discredited.

Beech is serving an 18-year prison term for 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud. The panel is expected to return a decision in the coming weeks over whether to proceed with the strand focusing on allegations of abuse against Lord Janner, the late Labour peer, amid concerns over anonymous witness evidence.