LONDON - (Labour Buzz) The widow of Lord Brittan has urged Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, to quit as a Member of Parliament.

Mr Watson has faced severe criticism after allegations against the late Lord Brittan were dismissed, following a thorough investigation by the Metropolitan Police. He had publicly supported the testimony of Carl Beech, known as ‘Nick,’ who had said he had witnessed the rape and murder of other young boys when he himself had been abused, at the hands of several high profile political figures.

In 2012, Tom Watson stated, “there is clear intelligence suggesting a powerful paedophile network linked to Parliament and Number 10. The Met Police spoken person said they fully “believed the claims”, prior to any trial.

Following claims made by Beech, a £2.5million police investigation, known as ‘Operation Midland’ took place. The investigation found Beech to be a fantasist and he was jailed for 18 years for various offences including perverting the course of justice.

Leon Brittan served as Trade and Industry Secretary and the Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher. He also served as a Vice-President of the European Commission. He was among several high profile figures accused of child abuse.

A report into the operation conducted by the Police is due to be released. The investigation and report was completed by Sir Richard Henriques, a retired judge of the High Court.

A friend of the wife of the deceased Tory peer said, “His subsequent attempts to distance himself show a complete lack of integrity. By misusing his public office to recklessly repeat false allegations, and to characterise himself as a victim, he has shown that he is unfit to hold the office of MP.”

Responding Tom Watson said, “I have always said that it wasn’t my place to judge whether sexual abuse allegations were true or false; that was for the police. The police asked me to encourage the hundreds of people that came to me with stories of child abuse to report their stories to the police. That is what I did. I hope the case of the liar Carl Beech doesn’t prevent true victims of abuse coming forward.”

The new Home Secretary, Priti Patel has stated she will order a review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary into Operation Midland.

During the 2019 Labour Conference, a motion by the NEC was filled to dismiss the role of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. However, this was dropped after an intervention by Jeremy Corbyn himself.

(Written by Brendan Chilton, edited by Michael O'Sullivan)

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