Harman ‘regrets’ link between charity and paedophile group
Harriet Harman expresses “regret” over links between a 1970s paedophile rights group and a civil liberties charity she used to work for, which was revealed by the Daily Mail.
However, the deputy Labour leader has also rounded on the tabloid newspaper for what she calls a “politically motivated smear campaign”, and for allegations that she said are “horrible and untrue”.
The Daily Mail has run a series of stories about the actions of Harriet Harman, her MP husband Jack Dromey and former health secretary Patricia Hewitt while they were officials at the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) – a forerunner of campaign group Liberty.
In the investigation, the Mail reports that the body granted “affiliate” status to the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) and lobbied for the loosening of laws. It reports that Ms Harman tried to “water down” a bill banning child pornography whilst working as the NCCl legal officer.
‘Horrific allegations’
In a statement on Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for Ms Harman said: “She regrets the existence of PIE and she regrets their involvement with NCCL before she joined, although it was immaterial to her work.
“She stands by the statement from yesterday and she is certainly not going to apologise to the Daily Mail.”
In her statement on Monday, Ms Harman said: “In recent days I have been the subject of a politically motivated smear campaign by the Daily Mail.
“They have accused me of being an apologist for child sex abuse, of supporting a vile paedophile organisation, of having a relaxed attitude to paedophilia and of watering down child pornography laws.
“These are horrific allegations and I strongly deny them, all of them.”
Hypocrisy?
Ms Harman, who was legal officer from 1978 to 1982, also accused the Daily Mail of hypocrisy for attacking her over “indecency”. Speaking on BBC Newsnight on Monday she said the Daily Mail was “not above producing photographs of very young girls”.
She added: “This is the Daily Mail aggressively trying to completely reshape the facts of a situation 30 years ago. It is ironic that they are accusing me of supporting indecency in relation to children when they themselves are not above producing photographs of very young girls, titivating photographs, in bikinis.
“I stand by what I was doing at NCCL and I stand by what I have done all the way through.”
Mr Dromey, who served on the executive of NCCL from 1970 to 1979, said: “Sexual abuse of children is evil and I have always viewed paedophiles and any group associated with them as evil.”
He maintained that he had been at the forefront of repeated condemnations of PIE.
Ms Hewitt, who was general secretary of the NCCL from 1974 to 1983, has not yet responded to the Daily Mail reports.
Ed Miliband has backed his deputy leader, saying that he did not “set any store” by the claims.
“I know she has a long and proud record of being on the right side of all of these issues,” he said.
‘No contrition’
A Daily Mail spokesman said: “For 10 weeks now the Mail has repeatedly asked three leading Labour figures to answer questions about the involvement of the NCCL, a body in which they played leading roles, with a vile paedophile group whose actions are currently being investigated by the police.
“The belated statements today of Ms Harman and her husband – full of pedantry and obfuscation – failed to answer the Mail’s central points and deny allegations the Mail has not made.
“More pertinently they have failed to utter a word of contrition or sorrow about the NCCL’s closeness to the notorious Paedophile Information Exchange, an organisation that validated the activities of a monster like Jimmy Savile. Nor do they utter a word of apology to the victims of PIE.”