New allegations of MPs involved in paedophile ring

In the aftermath of the Newsnight fiasco over child abuse in North Wales, David Hencke (since crowned Political Journalist of the Year in the British Journalism Awards) said he was working on another story about a paedophile ring. He added that he would not publish it until he was satisfied that it was secure.

He must be happy, because on his blog today he writes:

Exaro News ... today reveals that for the last two months the police have secretly been scoping a new investigation into senior politicians and their involvement in a paedophile ring, involving under age boys, that took place in the 1980s ...

They are looking again at a raid that took place in 1982 on a guest house in Barnes, south London, which appeared to be being used as a gay brothel and was frequented by prominent figures including, I am told, ministers, Tory MPs, a Liberal MP and two Labour MPs. Under age boys in the care of Richmond council and other local authorities were visiting or staying at the guest house. 

The inquiry-under the title Operation Fairbank – will also examine whether there was a cover up which meant that the Met Police at the time and when complaints about it resurfaced twenty years later never followed up the investigation. Nobody was ever charged with any offence, even though the place had been raided and people bundled into police cars.

And there is more on Exaro News (for which Hencke works), though you will have to register to read it.

This story was first broken by the Mirror at the start of the month, when it claimed:

A politician, top cop, judge and bishop are among those said to have been part of the ring between 1978 and 1982.

This one will run and run, though probably not on Newsnight.