Ted Heath allegations to feature in new child sex abuse inquiry

AN INVESTIGATION into claims that Sir Edward Heath was a paedophile is to be considered as part of a new public inquiry into wide-ranging historical child sex abuse.

Expected to be one of Britain’s biggest inquiries into allegations of paedophile activity within the Establishment, it will study the findings of a police report into claims the former prime minister was a child abuser.

Wiltshire Police spent two years and £2 million investigating the former Tory leader who died in 2005. Last month the force announced that Operation Conifer was drawing to a close, with a report expected to be published in the autumn. Officials at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) have now confirmed they will examine the police findings.

The inquiry, to be led by Professor Alexis Jay, will examine child protection failings in many areas of public life, ranging from local authorities to Westminster itself. A spokesman said: “In the context of Westminster … the inquiry will be interested to consider the outcome of Wiltshire Police’s investigation into allegations against Sir Edward Heath. The inquiry’s remit is institutional failure to protect children and is unlikely to need to examine whether allegations of abuse made against any particular parliamentarian are true during the course of its work.”

Sir Edward’s supporters criticised Operation Conifer as a witch hunt and a waste of police time. Mike Veale, the chief constable of Wiltshire Police, wrote a public letter in December after heavy criticism of the investigation.

Denying there was a witch hunt, he described Sir Edward as a “prominent, influential and high-profile person” and said the decision to investigate was “not taken lightly”.

Andrew Bridgen, a Tory MP, said Mr Veale had been wrongly vilified and added there were “powerful voices who would like to silence Operation Conifer”.