Leon Brittan’s response to the child sex abuse inquiry while he was alive was ‘wholly inadequate’, according to Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk.
The former Tory MP and home secretary, whose finals years were over-shadowed by child abuse allegations, died yesterday at the age of 75.
But Danczuk believes his death could be a loss to the delayed inquiry into an alleged high-profile paedophile ring.
“I think what Liam Brittan had to say when he was alive in regard to the dossier was very limited and what went on during the 1980’s was wholly inadequate,” Danczuk told Sky News.
“The allegations around this type of abuse have been circulating for a number of years and he could have taken the opportunity to share his knowledge, in terms of detail of what had gone on during the 1980s when he was home secretary.
“But he never did that.”
Danczuk said that there had been knowledge of a paedophile ring within Westminster for some time.
He also felt the Wanless report – which stated there was no concern over missing Home Office files in regard to a cover-up – failed to help matters.
“Margaret Thatcher was aware of some of the abuse which was going on in a report that was passed to her,” he said.
“There are many questions to be answered and the home secretary has been dragging her feet in terms of establishing this inquiry. People are left wondering why it’s taken so long.
“We had a debate on the government’s failure to progress the enquiry in Parliament and the home secretary was dithering, not being clear in terms of what success this enquiry would have or when it would actually be established.
“If she didn’t know this morning that there needed to be some urgency around this enquiry, she certainly knows it this afternoon because we’ve seen the death of a key witness who would have appeared before that enquiry.”
Image courtesy of Channel 4, via YouTube, with thanks.
