F
ormer Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson has apologised during his maiden speech in the House of Lords for his role in promoting false sex abuse claims.
Now known by his title of Lord Watson of Wyre Forest, the appointment of the political veteran to the upper chamber faced fierce criticism over accusations he “destroyed” lives by championing claims made by fantasist Carl Beech.
Beech, known as “Nick”, made claims there was a VIP paedophile ring operating in Westminster, which were investigated by police and eventually found to have no basis.
In the Lords on Wednesday, the Labour peer apologised to Lady Brittan, the widow of the late Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government and who was falsely accused of sex crimes by Beech.
I apologise unreservedly to Lady Brittan for the role that I played in the investigation of historic child sexual abuse. Her experiences led to several recommendations about how the police conduct themselves
The botched police inquiry into the allegations, which cost millions of pounds, saw dawn raids on the Brittans’ home, among others.
Lord Brittan died of cancer in 2015, aged 75, before he was publicly cleared.
Lord Watson...
Over the last year, beyond traditional healthcare and federal procurement matters, the government has pursued federal False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and enforcement across high-risk areas, i...