Thread by @MarkWatts_1

Day 1 of Westminster hearings #CSAinquiry – my round-up in just 22 tweets…

Counsel to #CSAinquiry confirmed my story that it will hear from Lord Taverne about a conversation between Roy Jenkins and Met commissioner in 1966/67 that police avoid catching/prosecuting any MPs when investigating “cottaging”.

From yday @FOIACentre: foiacentre.com/news-CSA-inqui…

Counsel to #CSAinquiry revealed that Lord Taverne cites late Labour MP Tom Driberg as an eg of MP who escaped prosecution for sexual offences.

This was in relation to adults, said counsel, although the inquiry has had evidence to suggest that Driberg also sexually abused boys.

Counsel to #CSAinquiry confirmed that it will rely on IOPC conclusion to reject most claims from ex-police of #VIPaedophile cover-ups.

It will only call four police whistleblowers, said counsel, not two as I had thought.

From yday @FOIACentre: foiacentre.com/news-CSA-inqui…

One police whistleblower has told #CSAinquiry that a paedophile probe, which had a flat in Cricklewood under surveillance, was shelved b/c Cyril Smith, Jeremy Thorpe, Leon Brittan and Edward Heath were suspects.

But counsel said that another ex-officer undermines these claims.

As I also revealed yesterday, #CSAinquiry will call former Liberal leader David Steel, now Lord Steel, and the party’s ex-president, Des Wilson, to give evidence about “Sir” Cyril Smith.

From yday @FOIACentre: foiacentre.com/news-CSA-inqui…

Counsel to #CSAinquiry confirmed that letters between MI5 and cabinet sec will feature in hearings, and that it will call MI5’s former head, Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller, to ask her about her relationship with Peter Morrison.

From yday @FOIACentre: foiacentre.com/news-CSA-inqui…

Counsel to #CSAinquiry said that it will examine decision not to prosecute the late Conservative MP Victor Montagu in 1972 for indecently assaulting a boy over a period of nearly two years.

He was let off with a caution after he promised that he would not see the boy again.

Robert Montagu is due to testify to #CSAinquiry about the sexual abuse that he suffered at the hands of his father, the late Conservative MP Victor Montagu.

He will, I think, be the ONLY survivor to testify to the Westminster hearings.

Lord Tebbit, in his statement to #CSAinquiry, gives three reasons for the basis of his belief that there may have been a cover-up over #VIPaedophiles, counsel revealed…

Lord Tebbit’s 3 pts to #CSAinquiry re pos #VIPaedophile cover-up:

• Jimmy Savile's “excessive interest in child patients at Stoke Mandeville”

• “lack of action taken agnst Cyril Smith”

• “Peter Morrison had an interest in young men,” which he took to mean “6th-form age.”

Contrary to a false newspaper report, Anthony Gilberthorpe has NOT supplied a statement to #CSAinquiry about his claims that he supplied under-age boys to several senior Conservative politicians, counsel said.

When counsel to #CSAinquiry referred to Anthony Gilberthorpe’s reported comments that he supplied under-age to Conservative MPs, Harvey Proctor shouted out from public gallery: “He was a liar.”

At one point, and to the bafflement of many, counsel to #CSAinquiry, played several familiar video clips, inc one of Tom Watson’s intervention in Parliament about paedophiles at top of government.

It sparked Harvey Proctor to harrumph: “Absolutely absurd.”

He had a point.

Counsel to #CSAinquiry confirmed that several former whips will be called to give evidence.

Not one recognised the infamous comments of, Tim Fortescue, senior whip for Ted Heath’s government, he said.

From yday @FOIACentre: foiacentre.com/news-CSA-inqui…

Gyles Brandreth tells #CSAinquiry in statement: “Whips never talk about what they do or how they go about it... As the chief whip pointed out to me at the time: ‘Our mystery is part of our potency.’ But mystery makes for mischief.”

From yday @FOIACentre: foiacentre.com/news-CSA-inqui…

Jonathan Price, for Esther Baker @Esther9982, told #CSAinquiry that she “was violently sexually abused since the age of a toddler by men known and unknown to her.”

He stressed: “Treatment of survivors must not depend upon the identity of the accused.”

Jonathan Price, for Esther Baker @Esther9982, told #CSAinquiry: “The inquiry must address the issue that the wider criminal-justice system has a practice, mostly implicit, of treating powerful people differently when it comes to accusations of child sexual abuse.”

Geoffrey Robertson, for Harvey Proctor, told #CSAinquiry: “‘Where there is smoke, there is fire,’ is not always true. Sometimes there is just a smoke machine.”

Geoffrey Robertson blurted out the identity of a victim of child sexual abuse, albeit not by name, requiring counsel to #CSAinquiry to break the delayed feed online.

Robertson exclaimed: "What have I done?”

He had no idea…

Harvey Proctor’s solicitor, Mark Stephens, walked from the public gallery of #CSAinquiry over to Geoffrey Robertson, presumably to explain his offence.

But inquiry staff tried to stop him.

Robertson said: “No, no, he’s my solicitor.”

There is always room for a bit of levity.

And tweet 22.

Geoffrey Robertson, for Harvey Proctor, called on #CSAinquiry to hold a part 2 to the Westminster investigation, to look into ‘Operation Midland’.

On that, I wholly agree.