Westminster abuse inquiry: Child sex allegations were 'deliberately ignored' to protect politicians for decades, report finds

The British political establishment turned a “blind eye” to child sex abuse and covered up allegations in order to protect high profile offenders including senior politicians, an investigation has found.

In a damning report published on Tuesday, Westminster was accused of protecting politicians from police investigations from the sixties to the early nineties in order to avoid “gossip and scandal” which would damage the political parties.

Distressing details were revealed as part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) which described a British political establishment that put the careers of politicians over the lives of vulnerable children.

The investigation said power and wealth was prioritised over vulnerable child victims, who “no one seemed to care about”.

MPs ‘known to have a sexual interest in children’

It said politicians and even former prime ministers were made aware of allegations made against MPs or officials but did nothing to stop them or protect victims.

Complaints were made against Liberal politician Cyril Smith (1928 – 2010) but were ignored and he was later knighted (Getty Images)

The report used the examples of Tory MP from 1974 to 1992 Sir Peter Morrison and Liberal MP from 1972 to 1992 Sir Cyril Smith MP who were “known or rumoured to be active in their sexual interest in children and were protected from prosecution in a number of ways”.

The investigation found they were shielded from prosecution by the police, the Director of Public Prosecutions and their political parties.

It said former Liberal party leader Lord Steel, who himself told the inquiry last year he failed to pass on allegations against colleague Sir Cyril, even though he believed them to be true, because it was “past history”. He later recommended him for a knighthood.

Deliberately overlooked

The report also said former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and ex-Conservative party chairman Norman (now Lord) Tebbit were aware of rumours about Sir Peter having “a penchant for small boys” but did nothing about it.

Conservative politician and MP for Chester, Peter Morrison (1944 – 1995) was known to have had a sexual interest in young boys (Photo: Getty Images)

This should have “rung alarm bells in government,” it said, but instead “the activities of an alleged child sexual abuser who held senior positions in government and the Conservative Party were deliberately overlooked”.

The investigation did not find any evidence of a coordinated “paedophile ring” in Westminster – claims widely reported following accusations made by fantasist Carl Beech.

But it said that, by ignoring evidence, claims and rumours for decades, political institutions had “significantly failed in their responses” and “regularly put their own reputations or political interests before child protection”.

‘No one cared about the children’

The report said no one “seemed to care about the fate of the children involved, with status and political concerns overriding all else” during this time and noted the impact on the victims was “just as profound” as if there had been a complicated network of sexual abuse taking place.

It said there was “striking evidence” to suggest 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.”

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Conservative Party Chairman Norman Tebbit both knew of allegations made (Photo: Getty Images)

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.

Wealth and social status prevailed

“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 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.

The Government spokesman said the Prime Minister had not had an advanced copy of the report before it was published.

Report’s main findings

Senior Westminster politicians, political parties, police and officials were guilty of failing to recognise child sexual abuse, turning a blind eye to it and actively protecting perpetrators during a period from the 1960s to as recently as 2017.
Individuals and institutions at the heart of the political and legal system showed excessive deference to individuals with high profiles and displayed “indifference to the plight of victims”.
There was no evidence of an organised paedophile network operating within Westminster and government circles.
Political parties regularly put their reputations and interests ahead of child protection. In particular, whips offices were “concerned above all to protect the reputation of their parties”, though there is no evidence that specific allegations were covered up or suppressed by whips.
MPs including Sir Cyril Smith and Sir Peter Morrison were known within Westminster to have active sexual interest in children but were protected from prosecution.
Former Liberal Party leader Lord Steel is sharply criticised for insisting that he had no grounds for taking action against Cyril Smith because his crimes occurred prior to joining the party. Lord Steel is accused of an “abdication of responsibility” and being “unrepentant”.
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Cabinet minister Norman Tebbit were made aware of “rumours” that Sir Peter Morrison had a sexual interest in under-age boys. However, no action was taken against Morrison, who eventually became Mrs Thatcher’s parliamentary private secretary.
As recently as 2017, a Green Party election candidate, Aimee Challenor was able to appoint her father as her election agent despite him facing a catalogue of charges of serious sexual assault against a child, including rape. He was later convicted.
The honours system should be reviewed by the Cabinet Office to reconsider whether there should be a power to posthumously revoke honours.
Neither the Conservative Party, Plaid Cymru nor UKIP have “proper safeguarding policies in place” and no political party meets all the requirements for child safeguarding policies and procedures.

Additional reporting from Cahal Milmo and PA.