Ed Miliband was urged to throw out Lord Janner over 'stomach-churning' child abuse allegations five months before Labour suspended him
Peer was spared prosecution despite 'sufficient evidence' to charge him due to the severity of his dementia
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ed Miliband was told to throw out Lord Janner over “stomach-churning” allegations of child abuse five months before the peer was eventually suspended from the Labour party.
The warning came from one of his own MPs – Simon Danczuk – who sent a letter to the former leader in October last year to urge him to quickly suspend Lord Janner after three senior officers from Leicestershire police had disclosed serious alleged abuse to him.
Labour suspended the peer in April after Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions, announced sufficient evidence existed to charge him with multiple counts of child abuse. However she decided against charging Lord Janner due to the seriousness of his advanced dementia.
But Mr Danczuk last night accused Mr Miliband of having “failed to act quickly and efficiently” and called on his party to expel him.
“You couldn't describe the action that has been taken by the party as swift and decisive,” he told Channel 4 News. “The nature of the allegation is so serious that really decisive action was required.
"I think they should expel him from the party. I think the allegations are that serious that they should carry out a short, sharp investigation which I am sure would conclude that he should be expelled from the party."
Ms Saunders’ decision not to charge Lord Janner was heavily criticised by police and MPs alike. Leicestershire Police said there was credible evidence that he had committed “some of the most serious sexual crimes imaginable”. More than a dozen people came forward with claims of abuse relating to the former Leicester West MP.
A group of cross-party MPs, co-ordinated by Mr Danczuk, claimed in a letter that the decision not to prosecute Lord Janner was "damaging public confidence" in the justice system and urged her to reconsider her decision.
Lord Janner’s family issued a statement shortly after the decision not to prosecute him was announced, insisting he was “entirely innocent of any wrongdoing”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments