Lord Steel admits he knew Cyril Smith was a paedophile and still nominated him for a knighthood
Not only did the ex-Liberal leader do nothing about the child abuse accusations but went on to give his support for a knighthood for Smith, who died in 2010
LORD Steel yesterday admitted he knew Cyril Smith sexually abused kids but had done nothing when he confessed.
The ex-Liberal leader, now 80, said the MP had confirmed to him that claims he spanked young boys and fondled their testicles were true.
But Lord Steel refused to take action because the offences happened before Smith was a member of the Liberals or an MP.
He told an inquiry yesterday: “It had nothing to do with me.”
Smith, MP for Rochdale for 20 years until 1992, never faced criminal action despite 144 complaints from alleged victims.
Yesterday, Lord Steel said he asked Smith about allegations he read in Private Eye in 1979. He told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse he came away from the meeting believing Smith had molested children.
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He said: “Well, I assumed he had because he said the account was correct.” But asked why he did nothing, Lord Steel, Liberal leader from 1976 to 1988, replied: “It was before he was an MP, before he was even a member of my party.”
He went on to give his support for a knighthood for Smith, who died in 2010, aged 82.
Ex-Labour MP Simon Danczuk said: “This means that Lord Steel nominated Cyril Smith for a knighthood knowing he was an abuser of children.”
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