Leon Brittan's homes raided in 'child sex investigation' amid claims of Cabinet cover-up, by Aaron Brown, Express (March 8, 2015)

Leon Brittan's homes raided in 'child sex investigation' amid claims of Cabinet cover-up

Officers raided properties in London and Wensleydale, in North Yorkshire, owned by the ex-Home Secretary on Wednesday this week.

Lord Brittan was previously accused of failing to act on a dossier detailing allegations of abuse within Westminster.

The raids on his properties come amid claims the Cabinet Office covered up infamous MP Cyril Smith's abuse allegations before his knighthood.

Police searched the homes of Lord Brittan some six weeks since the 75-year-old Conservative politician died of cancer.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed raids had taken place in the past week.

A spokesman said: "Officers from Operation Midland, on Wednesday 4 March, conducted searches at an address in Westminster, an address in Leyburn, an address in Farnham and an address in Grantham in connection with their inquiries."

Before his death, Lord Brittan denied the allegations against him.

He said: "It has been alleged that when I was Home Secretary I failed to deal adequately with the papers containing allegations of serious sexual impropriety that I received from Geoff Dickens.

"This is completely without foundation, as evidence from the Home Office's own report supports. I passed this bundle of papers to the relevant Home Office officials for examination, as was the normal and correct practice.

"I wrote to Mr Dickens on 20 March 1984 informing him of the conclusions of the Director of Public Prosecutions about these matters."

Operation Midland was set up in November to investigate claims of a child sex abuse ring hidden in Westminster during the 1970s and 1980s, conducted the raids at the homes of Lord Brittan.

"They are examining multiple leads. It's fair to say they are being very thorough. They will go wherever the evidence might lead them," a source close to the investigation told the Daily Mirror.

News of the raids comes amid evidence Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher knew of the child abuse allegations against Rochdale MP Cyril Smith BEFORE he was awarded his knighthood.

Never-before-seen letters released to the Mail on Sunday reveal Lord Shackleton wrote to then-PM Thatcher to inform her police had investigated Cyril Smith for indecent assault against teenage schoolboys between 1961 and 1966.

Lord Shackleton wrote in his letter it would be "slightly unfortunate" if the Liberal MP's "episode" stopped him receiving his knighthood.

"One may regret this kind of press reporting but it could be revived if an award to Mr Smith were made," Lord Shackleton wrote.

He then warns: "We felt it right to warn the honours system would be at some risk if the award were to be made and announced."

The Mail on Sunday reports a second note to the Prime Minister, dated May 1988, admitted the committee had "some hesitation" about the award but "so far as we believe and have been able to ascertain, his past history or general character does not, in all the circumstances, render him unsuitable".

The committee secretary admitted Smith had been given the "benefit of the doubt" because he had not been prosecuted.

But then-secretary Sir Robin Butler - now Lord Butler of Brockwell - had written to the director of public prosecutions (DPP) on the committee's behalf to seek more information about the politician's case.

He said: "The case for taking the exceptional step of writing to you in this way is to protect the Prime Minister (and The Queen) while also being fair to Mr Smith."

He said the committee wanted to know "whether the case against Mr Smith was not well founded: or whether it was a sound case, but that the evidence was not likely to stand up in court".

No reply from the DPP is recorded in the 19-page dossier of information handed to the newspaper as part of a Freedom of Information request, which was filed in April last year.

The Cabinet Office has denied attempting to cover up information about Whitehall's knowledge of Cyril Smith's child abuse at the time he was granted a knighthood.

Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who authored a book about the abuse allegations against Smith, accused the prime minister and deputy prime minister of helping with a cover-up.

He told the Mail on Sunday: "Nick Clegg and David Cameron have colluded in covering this up.

"It involves their people and we should not have to learn about this piecemeal because of journalists pestering for information.

"Both men need to come clean and make a personal commitment to revealing everything that is now held by government departments.

"The prime minister promised there would be no stone unturned into the inquiry of historic sex abuse in Westminster. But the Cabinet Office seems to be doing the opposite.

"Nick Clegg, who sits in this department, has already written to me refusing to carry out an investigation into who knew what about Cyril Smith in his party and it’s disappointing to see the Cabinet Office continuing this unhelpful approach."

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "There is no cover-up nor was the Cabinet Office forced to release this information by the information commissioner.

"This is a sensitive and complex case and it is right that we considered advice from a range of officials. After considering the advice, the Cabinet Office decided to disclose information."