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| Nick Clegg: Police 'best placed' to look into Westminster abuse claims | Nick Clegg: Police 'best placed' to look into Westminster abuse claims |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Nick Clegg has said the police are "best placed" to investigate allegations of a paedophile ring at Westminster in the 1970s and 1980s amid calls for a public inquiry. | Nick Clegg has said the police are "best placed" to investigate allegations of a paedophile ring at Westminster in the 1970s and 1980s amid calls for a public inquiry. |
| The deputy prime minster said he did want anything to "cut across" investigations already under way. | The deputy prime minster said he did want anything to "cut across" investigations already under way. |
| Mr Clegg said he wanted the truth to come out and "justice to be done". | Mr Clegg said he wanted the truth to come out and "justice to be done". |
| Former Home Secretary Lord Brittan has been under fire over his handling of two dossiers of evidence handed to him. | Former Home Secretary Lord Brittan has been under fire over his handling of two dossiers of evidence handed to him. |
| The peer initially said he had asked officials to look into allegations contained in a bundle of documents given to him by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in the mid-1980s, but could not recall any further action being taken. | The peer initially said he had asked officials to look into allegations contained in a bundle of documents given to him by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in the mid-1980s, but could not recall any further action being taken. |
| 'No surrogate' | 'No surrogate' |
| The Home Office later revealed that it carried out an independent review into the case last year, which found Lord Brittan had passed some of the concerns to the public prosecutor and that he had dealt with the allegations appropriately. | The Home Office later revealed that it carried out an independent review into the case last year, which found Lord Brittan had passed some of the concerns to the public prosecutor and that he had dealt with the allegations appropriately. |
| But the review also found that the dossiers of evidence appear to have been destroyed by officials, prompting allegations of a cover-up. | But the review also found that the dossiers of evidence appear to have been destroyed by officials, prompting allegations of a cover-up. |
| Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who has investigated claims of abuse by ex-MP Sir Cyril Smith, is calling for a "Hillsborough-style" inquiry to prevent allegations involving politicians being "swept under the carpet". | Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who has investigated claims of abuse by ex-MP Sir Cyril Smith, is calling for a "Hillsborough-style" inquiry to prevent allegations involving politicians being "swept under the carpet". |
| He insisted there was "no reason" why the dossier, which he says could include evidence indentifying child sex abusers, should have been destroyed by the Home Office. | He insisted there was "no reason" why the dossier, which he says could include evidence indentifying child sex abusers, should have been destroyed by the Home Office. |
| Mr Clegg faced claims on his weekly LBC radio phone-in that the government was not taking the missing dossiers seriously enough. | Mr Clegg faced claims on his weekly LBC radio phone-in that the government was not taking the missing dossiers seriously enough. |
| "I wasn't in the Home Office in the mid-1980s so I can't tell you exactly what happened then," he said, but stressed that the Home Office had carried out a full independent review of the paperwork. | "I wasn't in the Home Office in the mid-1980s so I can't tell you exactly what happened then," he said, but stressed that the Home Office had carried out a full independent review of the paperwork. |
| Mr Clegg, who worked for Leon Brittan in his private office in Brussels in the 1990s, when the Tory politician was a trade commissioner, told ITV's Good Morning Britain a public inquiry into claims of a paedophile ring was "no surrogate" for the police investigations currently under way. | Mr Clegg, who worked for Leon Brittan in his private office in Brussels in the 1990s, when the Tory politician was a trade commissioner, told ITV's Good Morning Britain a public inquiry into claims of a paedophile ring was "no surrogate" for the police investigations currently under way. |
| Explaining his stance on his LBC show, he said: "The police have got to look into these very, very serious allegations of stomach-churning offences, if they turn out to be true, of people, particularly people in power, in organised fashion, this is what the allegation is, abusing some of the most vulnerable people in society's care." | Explaining his stance on his LBC show, he said: "The police have got to look into these very, very serious allegations of stomach-churning offences, if they turn out to be true, of people, particularly people in power, in organised fashion, this is what the allegation is, abusing some of the most vulnerable people in society's care." |
| He has called on anyone with information to speak to the police, saying they are in the "best position" to investigate the allegations and he did not want "anything to cut across that or disrupt that". | He has called on anyone with information to speak to the police, saying they are in the "best position" to investigate the allegations and he did not want "anything to cut across that or disrupt that". |
| Downing Street rejected calls to publish in full the 2013 report into the trawl through old Home Office files and paperwork that failed to turn up the Dickens dossiers. | Downing Street rejected calls to publish in full the 2013 report into the trawl through old Home Office files and paperwork that failed to turn up the Dickens dossiers. |
| A summary of the review's conclusions has been published and the spokesman said: "My understanding is that the executive summary reflects very fully the report." | A summary of the review's conclusions has been published and the spokesman said: "My understanding is that the executive summary reflects very fully the report." |
| He added: "If there are allegations, evidence of wrongdoing that people have they should bring that to the attention of the relevant authorities including the police." | He added: "If there are allegations, evidence of wrongdoing that people have they should bring that to the attention of the relevant authorities including the police." |
| 'Over-arching inquiry' | 'Over-arching inquiry' |
| The Metropolitan Police's Operation Fernbridge is investigating allegations of child sexual abuse in the late 1970s and 1980s at the former Elm Guest House in Barnes, the scene of alleged parties involving MPs and other members of the establishment. | The Metropolitan Police's Operation Fernbridge is investigating allegations of child sexual abuse in the late 1970s and 1980s at the former Elm Guest House in Barnes, the scene of alleged parties involving MPs and other members of the establishment. |
| Greater Manchester Police are investigating allegations of abuse by Sir Cyril Smith at Knowl View, a Rochdale children's home which closed in 1994. Officers are also looking at claims the authorities covered it up. | Greater Manchester Police are investigating allegations of abuse by Sir Cyril Smith at Knowl View, a Rochdale children's home which closed in 1994. Officers are also looking at claims the authorities covered it up. |
| But calls are growing for an over-arching national inquiry, with hearings held in public, to get to the truth of what happened and deliver justice to the alleged victims. More than 120 MPs have signed a letter to the home secretary calling for an inquiry. | |
| Labour MP John Mann told BBC Radio 4's PM programme an over-arching inquiry was "essential". | |
| The Bassetlaw MP said: "There's more and more of this coming up. It goes to the heart of the establishment, and the key institutions of the country have been involved in doing nothing about it. That's why there needs to be a full public inquiry." | The Bassetlaw MP said: "There's more and more of this coming up. It goes to the heart of the establishment, and the key institutions of the country have been involved in doing nothing about it. That's why there needs to be a full public inquiry." |
| The Home Office is also under pressure to renew its search for the Dickens dossiers. | The Home Office is also under pressure to renew its search for the Dickens dossiers. |
| Former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald told PM: "It sounds to me as though there needs to be further investigation into this. Some of the detail is more than troubling. It's always alarming when material goes missing. | |
| "This may just be the passage of time, it may not be anything sinister, but I don't think people are going to be satisfied for this to be left as it is." | "This may just be the passage of time, it may not be anything sinister, but I don't think people are going to be satisfied for this to be left as it is." |