CHILD ABUSE ALLEGATIONS CHILL ME TO THE BONE
“It might be debt, it might be a scandal involving small boys, or any kind of scandal in which, erm, a member seemed likely to be mixed up in, they’d come and ask if we could help and, if we could, we did.” Who said that? Tim Fortescue, the House of Commons chief whip in the early 70s. When did he say it? 1995. Where? In a BBC2 documentary called Westminster’s Secret Service. Why did he say it? Because he thought he could get away with it.
How could a man admit on national television to hushing up scandals involving young boys and not face consequences? The footage only resurfaced after his death in 2008. We don’t know which scandals he covered for, but the sexual implication is clear. So, let me be clear: sexual contact between powerful men and young boys is not a scandal; it’s a crime, and a serious one at that.