Establishment ‘covered up child abuse to protect MPs’
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 that 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 co-ordinated “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”.
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 thendirector 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 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 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 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 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 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.”