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| Cameron: 'No stone unturned' on child sex abuse claims | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| David Cameron has pledged to get to the bottom of historical child sex abuse claims ahead of an expected announcement of a "wide-ranging" inquiry. | |
| The prime minister said there would be "no stone unturned to find out the truth about what happened". | |
| The BBC's Nick Robinson said the inquiry would look at claims covering the government, the NHS and the BBC. | The BBC's Nick Robinson said the inquiry would look at claims covering the government, the NHS and the BBC. |
| Theresa May is expected to outline the plans in the Commons at 15:30 BST. | |
| The home secretary will also tell MPs about a separate review of whether her department failed to act on claims of a paedophile ring in the 1980s. | The home secretary will also tell MPs about a separate review of whether her department failed to act on claims of a paedophile ring in the 1980s. |
| She is also set to announce a review into public bodies and their duty of care towards children. | |
| Mr Cameron said there would be "no stone unturned" by the probe into how institutions handled allegations of child abuse, adding that it was "vital" that lessons were learned about "things that have gone wrong". | |
| Earlier, Chancellor George Osborne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the investigation would go "as far as it needs to go". | |
| "People can be absolutely clear, these are very, very serious matters, we take them very seriously, we want to get to the truth and nothing but the truth, and we will do it in an independent and authoritative way." | "People can be absolutely clear, these are very, very serious matters, we take them very seriously, we want to get to the truth and nothing but the truth, and we will do it in an independent and authoritative way." |
| Claims 'without foundation' | Claims 'without foundation' |
| Labour has been calling for a full public inquiry into the various child sex abuse claims from the past. Shadow home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she welcomed reports that the proposed inquiry would be wide-ranging and cover all the various allegations - as long as a police investigations into specific claims continued. | Labour has been calling for a full public inquiry into the various child sex abuse claims from the past. Shadow home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she welcomed reports that the proposed inquiry would be wide-ranging and cover all the various allegations - as long as a police investigations into specific claims continued. |
| "Whether it's in the NHS about Savile, whether it's the BBC, whether it's in the Home Office, we need to make sure that all the lessons are learned so that we can have a strong enough child protection system for the future," she told BBC Radio 5 live. | "Whether it's in the NHS about Savile, whether it's the BBC, whether it's in the Home Office, we need to make sure that all the lessons are learned so that we can have a strong enough child protection system for the future," she told BBC Radio 5 live. |
| Mrs May's statement comes as ex-Home Secretary Leon Brittan welcomed the independent review into the missing files - and defended his dealings with a dossier on alleged child sex abuse handed to him in the 1980s. | Mrs May's statement comes as ex-Home Secretary Leon Brittan welcomed the independent review into the missing files - and defended his dealings with a dossier on alleged child sex abuse handed to him in the 1980s. |
| A senior legal figure from outside Whitehall is to look again into a Home Office review last year of any information it received in the 1980s and 1990s about organised child sex abuse and what happened to the dossier passed to Lord Brittan by the late Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens. | A senior legal figure from outside Whitehall is to look again into a Home Office review last year of any information it received in the 1980s and 1990s about organised child sex abuse and what happened to the dossier passed to Lord Brittan by the late Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens. |
| "It has been alleged that when I was home secretary I failed to deal adequately with the bundle of papers containing allegations of serious sexual impropriety that I received from the late Geoff Dickens MP," Lord Brittan said in a statement. | "It has been alleged that when I was home secretary I failed to deal adequately with the bundle of papers containing allegations of serious sexual impropriety that I received from the late Geoff Dickens MP," Lord Brittan said in a statement. |
| "This... is completely without foundation - as evidence from the Home Office's own report supports." | "This... is completely without foundation - as evidence from the Home Office's own report supports." |
| He said Mr Dickens had thanked the Home Office for the way in which the information he provided was handled and "for following up the cases that I keep sending to it". In a speech to the Commons on March 31, 1987, Mr Dickens added: "I should also like to thank the Attorney General. They have been very helpful and a strength to me in my campaigns." | He said Mr Dickens had thanked the Home Office for the way in which the information he provided was handled and "for following up the cases that I keep sending to it". In a speech to the Commons on March 31, 1987, Mr Dickens added: "I should also like to thank the Attorney General. They have been very helpful and a strength to me in my campaigns." |
| Key questions answered | Key questions answered |
| Why has this come up now? | Why has this come up now? |
| Labour MP Simon Danczuk last week called on Leon Brittan to say what the then home secretary did with documents he was passed in the 1980s containing allegations about powerful figures and paedophilia. | Labour MP Simon Danczuk last week called on Leon Brittan to say what the then home secretary did with documents he was passed in the 1980s containing allegations about powerful figures and paedophilia. |
| What happened to the files? | What happened to the files? |
| Lord Brittan passed them to Home Office officials. A 2013 review found 114 documents were unaccounted for. The review found the minister had acted appropriately. | Lord Brittan passed them to Home Office officials. A 2013 review found 114 documents were unaccounted for. The review found the minister had acted appropriately. |
| What did the papers allege? | What did the papers allege? |
| The allegations, compiled by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens, were set to "blow the lids off" the lives of powerful child abusers, the MP's son has said. The late Mr Dickens said he planned to expose eight such figures. | The allegations, compiled by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens, were set to "blow the lids off" the lives of powerful child abusers, the MP's son has said. The late Mr Dickens said he planned to expose eight such figures. |
| Read more: 1980s child abuse claims explained | Read more: 1980s child abuse claims explained |
| BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the form of Mrs May's inquiry could be similar in style to the Hillsborough inquiry - with experts taking evidence mostly in public. | BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the form of Mrs May's inquiry could be similar in style to the Hillsborough inquiry - with experts taking evidence mostly in public. |
| It would not be a full judge-led public inquiry, such as the Leveson or the Hutton inquiries which had witnesses giving evidence under oath, he said. | It would not be a full judge-led public inquiry, such as the Leveson or the Hutton inquiries which had witnesses giving evidence under oath, he said. |
| Ministers have so far rejected calls for an over-arching public inquiry into the various abuse allegations from the era, pointing to ongoing police investigations. | Ministers have so far rejected calls for an over-arching public inquiry into the various abuse allegations from the era, pointing to ongoing police investigations. |
| In a separate development, the BBC has seen a written account by Steven Adrian Smith, the former leader of the Paedophile Information Exchange jailed in 1991 and 2011, who claims he stored material at the Home Office while working there as an electrical contractor in the late 1970s and early 1980s. | In a separate development, the BBC has seen a written account by Steven Adrian Smith, the former leader of the Paedophile Information Exchange jailed in 1991 and 2011, who claims he stored material at the Home Office while working there as an electrical contractor in the late 1970s and early 1980s. |
| The Home Office declined to comment on claims Smith had his own office in the department, saying a probe into whether PIE received any public funds was ongoing. | The Home Office declined to comment on claims Smith had his own office in the department, saying a probe into whether PIE received any public funds was ongoing. |
| Duty of care | Duty of care |
| A Home Office spokesman said Mrs May's statement would address: "The Home Office's response in the 1980s to papers containing allegations of child abuse. | A Home Office spokesman said Mrs May's statement would address: "The Home Office's response in the 1980s to papers containing allegations of child abuse. |
| "And second, the wider issue of whether public bodies and other institutions have taken seriously their duty of care towards children." | "And second, the wider issue of whether public bodies and other institutions have taken seriously their duty of care towards children." |
| On Sunday, former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, who served in various ministerial roles under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, said there "may well have been" a political cover-up. | On Sunday, former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, who served in various ministerial roles under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, said there "may well have been" a political cover-up. |
| Last year's Home Office review found 527 potentially relevant files which it had kept, but a further 114 were missing, destroyed or "not found". | Last year's Home Office review found 527 potentially relevant files which it had kept, but a further 114 were missing, destroyed or "not found". |
| In a letter to the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Mark Sedwill, the Home Office's top civil servant, said there were 13 pieces of information about alleged child abuse among the items found. | In a letter to the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Mark Sedwill, the Home Office's top civil servant, said there were 13 pieces of information about alleged child abuse among the items found. |
| Nine of those 13 were already known or had been reported to the police. They included four cases involving Home Office staff, Mr Sedwill said. | Nine of those 13 were already known or had been reported to the police. They included four cases involving Home Office staff, Mr Sedwill said. |
| 'Flabbergasting' | 'Flabbergasting' |
| The remaining four items, which had not been previously disclosed, have now been passed to police, Mr Sedwill added - although a Home Office spokeswoman said "now" meant during the 2013 review, as opposed to at the time the allegations were received. | The remaining four items, which had not been previously disclosed, have now been passed to police, Mr Sedwill added - although a Home Office spokeswoman said "now" meant during the 2013 review, as opposed to at the time the allegations were received. |
| The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on the Home Office files but said it was "assessing information" as part of Operation Fairbank - set up in 2012 after Labour MP Tom Watson made claims about a "powerful paedophile ring" linked to a previous prime minister's "senior adviser" and Parliament. | The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on the Home Office files but said it was "assessing information" as part of Operation Fairbank - set up in 2012 after Labour MP Tom Watson made claims about a "powerful paedophile ring" linked to a previous prime minister's "senior adviser" and Parliament. |
| Mr Watson has set up an online petition calling on the prime minister to "make amends for historic failures" by establishing a national inquiry, which has now been signed by more than 55,000 people. | Mr Watson has set up an online petition calling on the prime minister to "make amends for historic failures" by establishing a national inquiry, which has now been signed by more than 55,000 people. |
| Labour's Simon Danczuk, who has campaigned for claims of abuse at Westminster to be investigated, described the situation as "flabbergasting", adding that more police were needed to carry out the probe after the Met confirmed it had seven officers working on Operation Fairbank. | Labour's Simon Danczuk, who has campaigned for claims of abuse at Westminster to be investigated, described the situation as "flabbergasting", adding that more police were needed to carry out the probe after the Met confirmed it had seven officers working on Operation Fairbank. |
| "You can't have the PM and the deputy PM saying leave it to the police when they know they're under resourced to investigate," he told the BBC. | "You can't have the PM and the deputy PM saying leave it to the police when they know they're under resourced to investigate," he told the BBC. |