Corbyn dismisses claim he failed to investigate Islington child abuse
The Labour leadership battle has become increasingly bitter after a campaigning MP claimed Jeremy Corbyn was unfit to win the contest because he failed to investigate historical allegations of child abuse in his constituency.
John Mann claimed the “trendy left” had been a “contributory factor” in covering up abuse and it would be “inappropriate” for left-winger Mr Corbyn to lead the party.
Mr Corbyn’s camp hit back, claiming the comments represented a “new low” in the leadership race and insisting he had taken a “strong line” on abuse allegations in his north London constituency.
Labour MP Mr Mann, who has worked closely with survivors of child abuse, used an open letter to claim Mr Corbyn had “inadvertently” helped cover up allegations of abuse in Islington raised by Tory Geoffrey Dickens in the 1980s.
“In 1986 MP Geoffrey Dickens raised serious concerns about child abuse in Islington,” Mr Mann said in the letter.
“Your response was to complain to the Speaker about him visiting your constituency without informing you.”
He added that Mr Corbyn had called Mr Dickens “irresponsible” and called for him to “unreservedly withdraw his allegations of the existence of child brothels in the area (in Islington) and make a public apology”.
Mr Mann, who nominated Yvette Cooper for the leadership, told Mr Corbyn: “You inadvertently helped the rubbishing and the cover up of all of the Dickens allegations.”
In November last year Mr Corbyn told Home Secretary Theresa May that “there have been complaints about Islington children’s homes in the past and the council has investigated them”, something Mr Mann said was an “extraordinary statement considering the representations made to you in the past that the council was in fact covering up abuse and not listening to the survivors, issues you were challenged on at the time”.
Mr Mann said Mr Corbyn, MP for Islington North since 1983, was a “man of the highest personal integrity and ethics” but added: “My concern is about your politics and how that results in actions, or in this case non-actions.”
He said: “The reason that your response and inactions to these matters is worthy of specific scrutiny is that unlike others who did not see what was happening, or as we saw with Saville, kept their suspicions to themselves rather than speak out or investigate, you are wishing to lead the Labour Party during the period of Goddard inquiry into child abuse and are seeking become prime minister.
“The so called ‘trendy left’ politics of the early 1980s was a contributory factor in covering up child abuse.”
Mr Mann told Mr Corbyn: “Your inaction in the 1980s and 1990s says a lot, not about your personal character, which I admire, but about your politics which I do not.”
The “carefully worded excusing” of Islington Council “demonstrates why it is inappropriate for you to attempt to lead the Labour Party” at the time when, because of Justice Lowell Goddard’s inquiry, “child abuse is the issue that will haunt this parliament”.
A spokeswoman for Mr Corbyn said: “This is a new low in the leadership election.
“Jeremy Corbyn has a long record of standing up for his constituents: he called for an independent inquiry into child abuse in Islington at the time and has taken this strong line ever since.
“He has called for the terms of reference of any inquiry to cross local authority and international jurisdiction to ensure as thorough and wide ranging investigation as possible.
“He has commended the Home Secretary’s intention to publish interim reports throughout the process.
“He has also proposed additional steps such as a standing commission.
“He has supported Islington Council working closely with the Home Office on these issues.”
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2015, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire.
