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| David Cameron warns against 'witch hunt' amid paedophilia allegations | David Cameron warns against 'witch hunt' amid paedophilia allegations |
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| David Cameron has warned that accusations of paedophilia against senior Conservative politicians risk creating a "witch hunt", particularly against gay people. | David Cameron has warned that accusations of paedophilia against senior Conservative politicians risk creating a "witch hunt", particularly against gay people. |
| The prime minister made his comments after being confronted on daytime television with a piece of paper listing the names circulating on the internet about the Tory politicians possibly involved in child sex abuse allegations. It was accidentally briefly flashed on air. | The prime minister made his comments after being confronted on daytime television with a piece of paper listing the names circulating on the internet about the Tory politicians possibly involved in child sex abuse allegations. It was accidentally briefly flashed on air. |
| Speaking on ITV1's This Morning, Cameron appealed to anybody with information to contact the police but raised concerns over the internet speculation about who may be embroiled in the scandal dating back to the 1970s and 80s. | Speaking on ITV1's This Morning, Cameron appealed to anybody with information to contact the police but raised concerns over the internet speculation about who may be embroiled in the scandal dating back to the 1970s and 80s. |
| "I've heard all sorts of names bandied around and what then tends to happen is everyone sits around and speculates about people, some of whom are alive, some of whom are dead," he told This Morning. | "I've heard all sorts of names bandied around and what then tends to happen is everyone sits around and speculates about people, some of whom are alive, some of whom are dead," he told This Morning. |
| "I do think it's very important that anyone who's got any information about any paedophile, no matter how high up in the country or whether they are alive or dead, go to the police." | "I do think it's very important that anyone who's got any information about any paedophile, no matter how high up in the country or whether they are alive or dead, go to the police." |
| The presenter Phillip Schofield passed Cameron a piece of paper listing names he had gathered from the internet, telling Cameron "you know the names on that piece of paper, will you be speaking to these people?". | The presenter Phillip Schofield passed Cameron a piece of paper listing names he had gathered from the internet, telling Cameron "you know the names on that piece of paper, will you be speaking to these people?". |
| A clearly irritated Cameron replied: "There is a danger if we are not careful that this can turn into a sort of witch hunt, particularly about people who are gay, and I'm worried about the sort of thing you are doing right now, taking a list of names off the internet." | A clearly irritated Cameron replied: "There is a danger if we are not careful that this can turn into a sort of witch hunt, particularly about people who are gay, and I'm worried about the sort of thing you are doing right now, taking a list of names off the internet." |
| Cameron said the allegations were "extremely serious" and the government had "moved quickly to try to get to the bottom of what they are". | Cameron said the allegations were "extremely serious" and the government had "moved quickly to try to get to the bottom of what they are". |
| Allegations that senior Conservative politicians may have been involved in child abuse at children's homes in north Wales triggered two separate inquiries this week. They are the latest in a number of inquiries set up over recent weeks after a slew of historic child sex abuse allegations involving the BBC, care homes and Whitehall surfaced, beginning with revelations about BBC presenter Jimmy Savile. | Allegations that senior Conservative politicians may have been involved in child abuse at children's homes in north Wales triggered two separate inquiries this week. They are the latest in a number of inquiries set up over recent weeks after a slew of historic child sex abuse allegations involving the BBC, care homes and Whitehall surfaced, beginning with revelations about BBC presenter Jimmy Savile. |
| The home secretary, Theresa May, announced on Tuesday that the incoming director general of the new National Crime Agency, Keith Bristow, would head a team looking at how North Wales police investigated allegations of child abuse in the 1970s and 80s, amid claims that they failed to take complaints seriously. A high court judge, Mrs Justice Julia Wendy Macur, would examine the scope and conduct of the previous Waterhouse inquiry into the abuse. One of the main issues will be why 28 alleged abusers, including an influential ally of Lady Thatcher, were identified during the inquiry but had their names protected. | The home secretary, Theresa May, announced on Tuesday that the incoming director general of the new National Crime Agency, Keith Bristow, would head a team looking at how North Wales police investigated allegations of child abuse in the 1970s and 80s, amid claims that they failed to take complaints seriously. A high court judge, Mrs Justice Julia Wendy Macur, would examine the scope and conduct of the previous Waterhouse inquiry into the abuse. One of the main issues will be why 28 alleged abusers, including an influential ally of Lady Thatcher, were identified during the inquiry but had their names protected. |
| The former children's minister Tim Loughton used an open letter to the prime minister on Thursday to urge him to launch a single, wide-ranging, judicial inquiry into child abuse for fear of "drowning" in separate inquiries "which now run to double figures". The Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, who served as children's minister for two years until being dropped in the September reshuffle, said it was time to set up an overarching inquiry "into what went wrong across a whole range of institutions". | The former children's minister Tim Loughton used an open letter to the prime minister on Thursday to urge him to launch a single, wide-ranging, judicial inquiry into child abuse for fear of "drowning" in separate inquiries "which now run to double figures". The Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, who served as children's minister for two years until being dropped in the September reshuffle, said it was time to set up an overarching inquiry "into what went wrong across a whole range of institutions". |
| Cameron did not rule out one "mega inquiry" further down the line, but said he was interested in getting the information in the quickest way possible. | Cameron did not rule out one "mega inquiry" further down the line, but said he was interested in getting the information in the quickest way possible. |
| He told This Morning: "The real question is would that help us get to the truth quickly. The idea that if you had one mega inquiry that you would speed everything up I'm not sure it's true. I don't rule out taking further steps. I want the government to be absolutely on top of this. I don't want anything to be covered up, I don't want any information held back. | He told This Morning: "The real question is would that help us get to the truth quickly. The idea that if you had one mega inquiry that you would speed everything up I'm not sure it's true. I don't rule out taking further steps. I want the government to be absolutely on top of this. I don't want anything to be covered up, I don't want any information held back. |
| "If there are more things we have to do, we will do them. But we always have to remember it's very easy for governments to stand up and say: 'Here's a new inquiry'. What we have got to do is get to the truth as fast as we possibly can." | "If there are more things we have to do, we will do them. But we always have to remember it's very easy for governments to stand up and say: 'Here's a new inquiry'. What we have got to do is get to the truth as fast as we possibly can." |
| Loughton made his case for a single inquiry on ConservativeHome: "It is something I first mooted some time ago when I warned that the Savile revelations only represent the 'tip of the iceberg'. Without this, I fear we risk a substantial number of inquiries across the police, the BBC, the health service, the church and so on, overlapping in many of their findings and circumstances, but reporting incrementally at various intervals over coming months and years. | |
| "Notwithstanding the need to avoid anything that would hamper ongoing or revived police investigations, I think we need to demonstrate that there is one substantial inquiry undertaken by a highly respected group of experts with gravitas and authority to look at wherever the evidence takes it. It should be able to investigate all the institutions that have substantial contact with children and young people of which the BBC and other entertainment bodies, the church, care homes, and the NHS are just the starting points that have been subject to exposure already. | |
| "Without this, I believe we risk an almost weekly call for yet another new inquiry as the media uncovers some fresh or reheated stories of child abuse involving yet another body. The public is rightly asking: 'Where will it all end?' and beginning to show signs of 'abuse fatigue.'" |