London: Sir Edward Heath is the highest profile political figure to be linked to child sex abuse allegations that have shaken the political establishment.
The new claims follow a flurry of previous allegations of child abuse against at least 24 former and current senior politicians, which have circulated on social media.
At least three serving MPs are facing claims from political colleagues that they may have been involved in abuse. None are the subject of an official police investigation although their names have been passed on to the police.
Last month, documents revealed that the security services warned the Thatcher government in the 1980s that allegations an MP had a “penchant for small boys” risked causing it political embarrassment.
The files showed that former MI5 director general Sir Antony Duff wrote to the then cabinet secretary Sir Robert Armstrong in 1986 over claims made by two sources about the MP.
Former Tory home secretary Leon Brittan, Peter Morrison, who was an aide to Margaret Thatcher, ex-diplomat Sir Peter Hayman and former minister William van Straubenzee were named in other top secret files uncovered following the review.
Public unease about alleged cover-ups has grown to such an extent that Theresa May, the home secretary, has launched a wide-ranging inquiry into child abuse in Britain.
Judge Lowell Goddard is heading Britain’s largest public inquiry into historical abuse, which is expected to continue until 2020.
Her inquiry follows a number of criminal investigations launched over the last three years. In 2012, Operation Fairbank was launched to look into claims that there was a paedophile ring with links to government in response to information passed on by Labour MP Tom Watson.
Fairbank has been followed by other investigations including Operation Midland, which is examining claims of a VIP paedophile ring in Dolphin Square, central London, in the 1970s and 80s involved in the murder of three boys has also been launched; Fernbridge, which is looking at claims linked to the Elm Guest House in Barnes, south-west London, in the 1980s; and Cayacos, which is investigating historic cases linked to the Paedophile Information Exchange.
The Labour peer and former MP Lord Janner is to face prosecution for alleged child sex offences after director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders was forced into a U-turn. The first hearing in the case is due to take place at Westminster magistrates court on Friday.
It is not yet clear whether Janner will be required to attend — he is suffering from Alzheimer’s and therefore may face a trial of facts into 22 offences allegedly committed in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
An independent review overturned Saunders’ decision that the former Labour peer should face no action over child abuse allegations.
Others have warned that intense media speculation that there is an establishment cover-up may have been fuelled by homophobia and have led to unnecessary and expensive police inquiries.
The home of Harvey Proctor, the former Tory MP who left parliament in 1987 after admitting a sexual encounter with a 19-year-old man, was searched by police investigating historical allegations in March although he was not arrested or charged with any offence.
Writing in the Independent, he denied knowing anything about “sex parties” in Westminster or paedophiles. “I have not been part of any rent boy ring with cabinet ministers, other MPs or generals or the military.
“The police have said … they’re investigating historical sex abuse allegations going back to the 1970s and the 1980s. I may not have known of the detail of it but anyone would be blind if they hadn’t seen the press relating to these matters over the last year and I find myself in a very Kafkaesque fantasy situation,” he said.
He said the media, police and politicians were pursuing the issue of historical child sex abuse “to try to get on the good side of the people of this country and rehabilitate themselves from their past lapses”.
