Liberal Democrat peer Lord David Steel has quit the party and will retire from the House of Lords "as soon as possible" following the publication of a damning report into allegations of child sexual abuse linked to Westminster.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), published on Tuesday, reserved particular criticism for Lord Steel.

He is accused of an "abdication of responsibility" when he learned about allegations of child abuse against his fellow MP, Cyril Smith.

Following the publication of the report, Lord Steel resigned from the Lib Dems with immediate effect and revealed he was bringing forward his planned retirement from the Lords "with considerable personal sorrow".

The 81-year-old said: "I have received indications that some in the Liberal Democrat party wish me suspended and investigated again, despite a previous disciplinary process in Scotland which concluded that no further action was required.


"I am told that others are threatening to resign if a new investigation is started.

"I wish to avoid any such turmoil in my party and to prevent further distress to my family."

The IICSA said MPs including Smith and Sir Peter Morrison were "protected from prosecution".

The report said there was a culture of "failing to recognise abuse, turning a blind eye to it, covering up allegations and actively protecting high-profile offenders including politicians" within Westminster.

It concluded that politicians valued reputation "far higher than the fate of the children involved".

Image: Police believe Cyril Smith, MP for Rochdale from 1972 to 1992, was a serial sex abuser of boys

Lord Steel led the Liberal Party between 1976 and 1988, after which he spent a year as interim leader of the Liberal Democrats following the Liberal Party's merger with the Social Democratic Party.

"Knowing all I know now, I condemn Cyril Smith's actions towards children," he said.

The peer added: "I regret the time spent on pursuing Leon Brittan, Lord Bramall and others, who it is clear had done no wrong.

"Not having secured a parliamentary scalp, I fear that I have been made a proxy for Cyril Smith."

Image: A man, who wished to remain anonymous, said Lord Steel 'robbed him of justice'

Lord Steel was also critical of the IICSA's actions, continuing: "Nowhere do IICSA explain what powers I was supposed to possess to investigate 14-year-old allegations against someone (who at the time of the actions alleged was not even a member of my party), that the police and successive DPPs (director of public prosecutions) reviewed with access to all files.

"IICSA refused my offer of clarification on my oral testimony to them, which has since been widely reported."

He added: "Contrary to some reports, at no point did Cyril Smith admit to me the truth of the allegations in the Private Eye report.

"He admitted that there had been an investigation by police of acts alleged against him whilst he was a councillor in another political party, as was reported.

"Smith and I did not discuss further what IICSA counsel himself correctly described as 'a very very brief conversation' in 1979."

Image: A man, who wished to remain anonymous, said Lord Steel 'robbed him of justice'

In evidence to the inquiry on 13 March 2019, Lord Steel said he asked Smith in 1979 about claims he abused boys at a Rochdale hostel in the 1960s.

He said he came away from the conversation "assuming" that Smith had committed the offences but claimed it was "nothing to do with me".

The inquiry found that Lord Steel "looked at Cyril Smith not through the lens of child protection but through the lens of political expediency."

It said his "personal inaction" was "inexplicable".

Lord Steel went on to recommend Smith for a knighthood in 1988.

One of Smith's victims told Sky News: "I think David Steel and his party robbed us of justice. They didn't care about us.

"The party they were representing didn't care about us.

"It's like bringing someone in to your home and praising them all the time, and knowing that he's been abusing and has gone on and is still abusing.

"And they were just letting him. I think its disgusting, it's a disgrace."

Police believe Smith, who was MP for Rochdale between 1972 and 1992, was a serial sex abuser of boys.

In 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service admitted that the politician should have been charged with the crimes more than 40 years ago.

The IICSA heard evidence that senior police officers thwarted the investigation into Smith because the case was "too political".

It added that the Liberal Party members, who were likely to be aware of the allegations against Smith, "did nothing to inhibit his political progress".

The IICSA also roundly criticised the Conservative Party's handling of allegations of child abuse against Peter Morrison, the MP for Chester, which emerged in the late 1980s.

Image: Peter Morrison, seen here with Margaret Thatcher in 1990, was 'protected as a member of the establishment'

It said: "The evidence shows his party made efforts to suppress these rumours rather than conduct a formal investigation."

According to the report, the focus of attention remained "unswervingly on political consequences rather than the welfare of the child".

It added: "Senior officials within the Conservative Party knew about allegations concerning Morrison for years but did not pass them on to the police.

"Instead, he became Margaret Thatcher's parliamentary private secretary in 1990 and was knighted a year later."

It concluded: "Peter Morrison was protected as a member of the establishment."

The report's authors say there has clearly been a problem with "deference towards people of public prominence," from the whips' offices to the police and prosecutors.

The inquiry explored the case of Sir Peter Hayman, who held significant roles in the diplomatic service between 1964 and 1974. He was also involved in the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) which, in the 1970s, campaigned to lower the age of consent.

Hayman was charged with sending obscene material through the post but escaped a caution after his solicitor held a private meeting with the director of public prosecutions.

Image: Inquiry chair Professor Alexis Jay said there was 'no evidence of an organised network of paedophiles within government'

The report concluded that "his prominent position gave rise to special pleading for which he received special treatment."

The chair of the inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay, said: "It is clear to see that Westminster institutions have repeatedly failed to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse, from turning a blind eye to actively shielding abusers.

"A consistent pattern emerged of failures to put the welfare of children above political status although we found no evidence of an organised network of paedophiles within government."

The report found many British political parties are still struggling to address safeguarding - citing the case of a Green Party candidate who appointed her father as election agent despite his 22 offences, including rape and sexual assault of a child.

It added that the Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, UKIP and the Co-operative Party do not have proper safeguarding policies in place and no party meets all of the procedures considered necessary.

Ministers established the IICSA in 2014 in the wake of allegations of abuse by Jimmy Savile.

The IICSA has examined many different areas of historic sexual abuse from children's homes, grooming gangs, to cases within the clergy.

But the aspect of the investigation published on Tuesday is purely focused the actions of those at the heart of power.

The inquiry does not include discredited allegations about a Westminster "VIP paedophile ring" by Carl Beech.

Known as "Nick", he was jailed for 18 years after being convicted of fraud and perverting the course of justice.