I warned Theresa May about sex abuse cover- ups THREE TIMES and she failed to act': Labour MP's explosive claim

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A Labour MP has sensationally accused of Theresa
May of failing to act when she warned of Westminster
abuse cover-ups three years ago.
Lisa Nandy had told how party whips used scandal "to
exert control" over pervert MPs in the 1970s, and
suggested history might repeat itself.
That was in 2014 - and now Westminster is gripped by
a slew of allegations of sexual harassment, assault,
and even one of rape.
Ms Nandy accused the Prime Minister of failing to act
- something she denied.
Ms Nandy said at Prime Minister's Questions: "Three
years ago I brought evidence to her in this House that
whips had used information about sexual abuse to
demand loyalty from MPs.
"I brought that information to her in this House and I
warned her at the time that unless real action was
taken, we risked repeating those injustices again
today.
"On three occasions I asked her to act and on three
occasions she did not.
"So can I ask her, in this of all weeks, for the fourth
time, will she finally take concrete action to tackle
this?"
Wigan MP Ms Nandy's original questions were raised
in 2014, while Mrs May was Home Secretary and
setting up the inquiry into historic child sex abuse.
Mrs May said today that there was no excuse for
party whips not reporting abuse allegations to police.
She said the whips' office "should make clear to
people that where there are any sexual abuse
allegations that could be of a criminal nature that
people should go to the police".
"It is not appropriate for those to be dealt with by
whips' offices. Those should go to the police," she
added.
And the Prime Minister promised to review the
questions raised with her in 2014.
At the time, Ms Nandy warned party whips - whose
job is to keep discipline in the Commons - were using
scandal as currency rather than telling police.
She said in July 2014: "In the mid-1990s, a senior ex-
Whip who had served in the 1970s told the BBC that
the Whips Office routinely helped MPs with scandals,
including those, in his own words, “involving small
boys”, and that they did so to exert control over those
individuals and prevent problems for the Government.
"That is just one powerful example of how personal
and political interests can conspire to prevent justice
from happening.
"May we have a full commitment that the inquiry will
consider not just the police and social services but
what happens at the heart of power, and that if those
systems are found to exist today, they will be
overturned, whether or not it makes life uncomfortable
for political parties, Parliament or the Government?"
A day later, she wrote to the then-Home Secretary in
similar terms, below.
A week later, still in 2014, she added in the House of
Commons: "Has the Home Secretary given any
thought to the new legal powers that may be needed
by this child abuse inquiry but may take some time to
establish?
"My understanding is that records kept by the Whips
are not subject to freedom of information, but are
subject to data protection.
"If the inquiry panel has no power to hold those data
or compel information to be shared, how will it bring
justice for survivors?"
At the time, Mrs May said it was "not my intention"
that political parties would be outside the scope of
the inquiry.
Today Theresa May said she, Jeremy Corbyn and
other party leaders will hold a rare joint meeting over
the Westminster sexual misconduct scandal.
Mrs May said MPs from all parties are "deeply
concerned", telling the Commons: "I've written to all
party leaders inviting them to a meeting early next
week so we can discuss a common, transparent,
independent grievance procedure for all those working
in Parliament.
"We have a duty to ensure that everyone coming here
to contribute to public life is treated with respect."
The comments Ms Nandy originally referred to were
made by Tim Fortescue, a Conservative Whip in
1970-73 under Edward Heath.
He told a BBC documentary: "Anyone with any sense
who was in trouble would come to the whips and tell
them the truth and say ‘Now I’m in a jam can you
help?’.
"It might be debt, it might be scandal involving small
boys or any kind of scandal which a member seemed
likely to be mixed up in they’d come and ask if we
could help and if we could we did and we would do
everything we can because we could store up brownie
points.
"That sounds a pretty nasty reason but it’s one of the
reasons, is if he we could get a chap out of trouble
then he’ll do as we ask forever more."
Shortly after her statement in the Commons today Ms
Nandy spoke to the BBC TV show The Daily Politics.
She said: "Three years ago when Theresa May was
Home Secretary I came to the house to raise with her
serious concerns I had about the way Whips offices
had operated in the past and warned her that those
same practices may well persist if left untackled.
"It came about because I had seen a documentary
where a Tory former Whip had given an interview
where he talked about covering up indiscretions in a
little black book, which was then used to demand
loyalty from Tory MPs. In the same documentary the
former Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw had made
similar comments about these little black books.
"The question I posed to Theresa May three years ago
was that unless the child abuse enquiry was given the
power to demand those papers we wouldn't be able to
discover what had led to that situation being able to
persist so long and be able to learn lessons for the
future to make sure we didn't repeat them.
"In the end, sex abuse is about power. It isn't just
about sex, as the media seems to think, it's about is
about power and bullying and secrecy and creating an
environment in which that is situation allowed to
persist.
"The question I asked Theresa May three times three
years ago was would she make sure those papers
were released and real action was taken. She didn't
do anything about it at the time. I hope she does
something about it now."
Downing Street has denied Ms Nandy's allegations.
Theresa May's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister
did act."
The spokesman added: "This was a very specific
allegation made by someone who was a chief whip in
the 1970s, the comments were about that period
made in a documentary in the 1990s.
"It was in relation to the idea that whips in the 70s
may have held information relating to child sex
abusers. Lisa Nandy was seeking an assurance from
the PM that nothing would be done to prevent the
CSA inquiry from looking back into that period and
into the activities of political parties and the whips’
offices.
"That was included in the terms of reference of the
CSA inquiry. The Home Office wrote to Lisa Nancy
after her question to state that that would be the
case and they are indeed within the terms of
reference. So the matters raised were dealt with."

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