Hewitt Says Sorry - Harman Unrepentant

28th February 2014

Former Labour Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has apologised for having "got it wrong" in the row over a pro-paedophile group.

She said she took responsibility for mistakes made by the National Council for Civil Liberties in the 1970s when she was its general secretary.

The NCCL was "naive" over its links with the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), Ms Hewitt said.

But she had never condoned the "vile crimes" of paedophiles, she added.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
I should have urged the executive committee to take stronger measures to protect NCCL's integrity from the activities of PIE members and sympathisers”
End Quote
Patricia Hewitt

Statement in full

It is the first time Ms Hewitt, who said she had been away for the past 12 days, has publicly spoken since the latest controversy broke.

She said more should have been done to protect the integrity of the NCCL from the activities of PIE, which was allowed to join the organisation as an affiliate member in 1975.

In a statement, Ms Hewitt explained she had only been able to study allegations made by the Daily Mail upon her return to the UK and said: "Any suggestion that I supported or condoned the vile crimes of child abusers is completely untrue."

The newspaper has questioned Ms Hewitt, along with deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman and Ms Harman's husband and fellow Labour MP Jack Dromey, over their actions while officials at the NCCL in the 1970s and 1980s.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26376896

She has made a serious error of judgement. Supported by lefties like some on here who are unconcerned with the morality of the case they made a judgement call to tough it out. I'm so pleased they did. They compound the errors and show how Labour are as deceitful and vacuous as ever.

I commend them to this course of action it will save the RWing parties a fortune as Labour damage their own reputation.