William Hague knew of Sir Peter Morrison's possible involvement in child abuse in North Wales

In July I wrote about Sir Peter Morrison and the rumours that circulated about him in the late 1980s.

Today's Daily Mail prints an extract from the new, expanded edition of Gyles Brandreth's Breaking the Code (which I mentioned a couple of days ago). Brandreth succeeded Morrison as Conservative MP for the City of Chester constituency.

Brandreth, as well as discussing his own experiences at prep school, writes:

The first, and only, official acknowledgement of my predecessor’s possible involvement in child abuse came my way in 1996, when William Hague, then Secretary of State for Wales, came up to me in the Commons to let me know that he had ordered an inquiry into allegations of child abuse in care homes in North Wales between 1974 and 1990 - and that Morrison’s name might feature in connection with the Bryn Estyn home in Wrexham, 12 miles from Chester.

As Brandreth says, nothing has been proved against Morrison. But Hague's warning does suggest these allegations were taken seriously in Conservative government circles.