Steel cleared by Lib Dems over Cyril Smith scandal

LORD Steel was readmitted to the Liberal Democrats yesterday after the party cleared him over the Cyril Smith scandal.

He was suspended in March after admitting he knew of the crimes committed by the paedophile politician – and did not take any action.

The 80-year-old peer said he was relieved the case against him had been dropped.

But lawyers representing victims of Smith said they were disappointed by the decision, which came before the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse had reached its own conclusions.

Lord Steel told the abuse inquiry he confronted 29-stone Smith in 1979 after a Private Eye article exposed abuse of children at a care home.

Yesterday he said he had voluntarily given evidence and had ‘offered open and honest answers’ – some of which had been taken out of context.

But Richard Scorer, of law firm Slater and Gordon, said: ‘Lord Steel’s evidence and the dismissive way in which he delivered it was truly shocking.

‘The least my clients are owed is for the matter to be investigated in a thorough, open and transparent way.’ Smith died in 2010.