Tory child sex abuse ring claim: Cameron races to control scandal

• PM's office unveils two inquiries into child sex abuse claim
• North Wales inquiry and police response to be reviewed
• As many as five child abuse inquiries 'imminent'
• Tom Watson praises PM but calls for wider investigation

Patrick Wintour, political editor
guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 November 2012 13.04 EST

The government is racing to stay ahead of the swirl of allegations about child abuse in the UK by announcing two further inquiries into an alleged abuse ring in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.

The first inquiry will look into the conduct of the original official inquiry into the child sex abuse ring and the second into the police handling of complaints at the time.

Faced by allegations that senior Conservative politicians may have been involved in the scandal at the time, David Cameron, while on an official visit to the Middle East, announced he would establish an urgent investigation into the conduct of the official inquiry held between 1996 and 2000.

In addition, the prime minister's spokesman in London said a separate inquiry will be held into the way in which the police handled the investigation.

The spokesman conceded as many as five different inquiries were now underway, or imminent, looking into aspects of child abuse.

The spokesman did not rule out an over-arching figure being asked to look at the lessons to be drawn from the inquiries now covering the BBC, the NHS, the police and government.

Cameron rushed to act as the media threatened to identify the senior Tory figure close to Lady Thatcher alleged to have been involved in the child abuse.

The Labour MP Tom Watson also urged the government to act after victim Steve Messham said that the Waterhouse inquiry of 2000 only covered a fraction of the alleged assaults.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/05/tory-child-sex-ring-claim