Leon Brittan 'Questioned Over Rape Claim'

Former home secretary Leon Brittan was questioned by police last month over a historical allegation of rape, according to reports.

The Independent on Sunday said the 74-year-old Conservative peer was interviewed by detectives under caution about the claim but was not arrested.

Lord Brittan is understood to have strongly denied the claims.

At the time of the alleged incident, Lord Brittan was not an MP after unsuccessfully contesting the North Kensington seat in 1966.

Last night, a Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed an allegation of rape had been made against a man in his seventies over an incident in 1967.

He said: "In late 2012, a woman alleged to the Metropolitan Police Service that she was raped by a man in 1967 at an address in London.

"The woman was over the age of 18 at the time of the incident.

"The allegation is being investigated by officers from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

"In June 2014, a man aged in his 70s was interviewed under caution by appointment at a central London location in connection with the allegation.

"He was not arrested. Enquiries continue."

Lord Brittan was home secretary in Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government between 1983 and 1985.

The police interview is said to have taken place at the London offices of law firm Mishcon de Reya.

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Westminster Abuse Claims Probe: 114 Files Lost

The Home Office has admitted that more than 100 official files relating to allegations of historical child abuse by politicians have been lost or destroyed.

The department's permanent secretary, Mark Sedwill, said the documents - which related to a 20-year period between 1979 and 1999 - were "presumed destroyed, missing or not found".

The disclosure came as Mr Sedwill said he will appoint a senior legal figure to assess the Home Office's handling of a dossier alleging historical child abuse involving powerful and famous figures at Westminster in the 1980s.

Shamed children's entertainer Jimmy Savile and disgraced MP Cyril Smith are two names which are said to be contained in the dossier, which the Home Office says is also missing.

The Home Office disclosed that 114 files have vanished without a trace

It follows the Prime Minister's call for him to establish what happened to the file which was handed to the then home secretary Leon (now Lord) Brittan by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983.

Lord Brittan admitted he had received the dossier and passed it on to officials, but no action was ever taken.

In a letter to the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, Mr Sedwill revealed that while the original review had identified 527 potentially relevant files which had been retained, there were a further 114 files which could not be located.

The Prime Minister is under pressure to launch a full public inquiry

He said that the investigation had not found a single dossier from Mr Dickens, but several sets of correspondence over a number of years to a number of home secretaries containing claims of sexual offences.

However he said that the review had found no record of specific allegations by Mr Dickens of child sex abuse by senior figures.

"Like any other citizen, I am horrified by what we have learnt in the past couple of years about the systematic abuse of children and vulnerable adults by prominent public figures, and the state's failure to protect them," he wrote.

"Some have been brought to justice and I hope that the police investigations now under way across the country are equally successful. The Home Office has and will co-operate fully with any police inquiry."

Earlier, David Cameron faced criticism for an "inadequate" investigation into what happened to the dossier.

Labour MP Simon Danczuk, whose campaign raised the issue of what happened to the Dickens' file at a Commons Home Affairs Committee hearing, said there needed to be a public inquiry.

He told Sky News: "The public are very clearly concerned and they won't be satisfied with another review by Home Office officials.

"Reviews like this often prove to be whitewashes.

"The Prime Minister should establish an over-arching review led by child protection experts to draw together the results from all these different case, investigations and institutional inquiries."

Allegations of sex abuse have been made against the late Cyril Smith

Labour leader Ed Miliband has told Sky News that as well as a "thorough review" of what happened at the Home Office, there must also be a wider look at child protection.

The Met Police said in a statement: "We are currently assessing information and conducting a number of investigations under Operation Fairbank.

"Any material submitted to us, historic or current, is reviewed to establish if it is relevant to these."

Calls for more to be done about allegations of child sex abuse by politicians have increased since the 2010 death of Liberal Democrat MP Cyril Smith, who was subsequently said to have been a paedophile.

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Rolf Harris Visited Broadmoor With Jimmy Savile

The Fall Of One Of Britain's Best-Loved Stars

Updated: 6:09pm UK, Monday 30 June 2014

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Despite being born in Australia, Rolf Harris' lengthy career in show business, spanning almost six decades, has ensured he is one of Britain's best-known and, until now, best-loved stars.

From his humble beginnings as a swimming champion in his native Western Australia, he moved to London in 1952 after deciding to abandon a teaching career and study art instead.

Within weeks he was singing in ex-pat clubs and two years after stepping off a liner, he signed a contract with the BBC which marked the start of a lengthy association with the broadcaster.

Artist, singer-songwriter and TV star, his legendary career earned him an MBE, OBE and CBE and Australian honours as well.

He was given a BAFTA fellowship, painted a portrait of the Queen and has met other members of the royal family countless times.

Harris also made numerous TV commercials and appeared at Glastonbury six times - opening the event in 2010 - and singing in front of a crowd of almost 100,000.

Countless generations of children and adults know him through iconic programmes from the 70s, 80s and 90s, such as The Rolf Harris Show, Rolf Harris Cartoon Time, Animal Hospital and Rolf On Art.

His wife of 56 years, Alwen, and daughter Bindi, 49, supported him in court throughout the seven-week trial, although only Bindi was called to give evidence in the case.

She described how she wanted to ''stab herself with forks'' after discovering Harris had been having a relationship with her best friend, who was the subject of seven of the charges.

In his 2001 autobiography, titled after his catchphrase "Can You Tell What It Is Yet", there is a telling passage in which he explained his feelings about his family.

He wrote: ''Alwen and Bindi have to come first. It has only been in the last five years that I have realised this. Late, but better than never.''

Telling, because it was in 1997 Harris wrote to the father of Bindi's best friend to tell him of the affair he had been having with his daughter when his own daughter found out.

He also wrote of how, as his career took off in the 60s, he found himself ogling women in backstage dressing rooms set aside for dancers he worked with.

Harris wrote: ''I tried not to watch - or be seen watching - but it wasn't easy, I spent most of my time reading the same page of a book 14 times realising I was holding it upside down.''

It's also clear he had a difficult relationship with his daughter and wife - blaming himself for not being with them as he devoted his time to his career - leaving them a painful second.

In the early 1960s as his career hit the big time, Alwen visited Australia with him and it later emerged she had contemplated suicide, Harris only finding out about it 30 years later when he found her diary.

Harris described how ''the words struck me like hammer blows'' adding that he ''felt terrible and I kicked myself for my selfishness''.

His awards and honours count for nothing and he will now swap his luxury Thames-side home in Berkshire for the cold harsh surroundings of a prison cell, as a convicted sex offender.

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'Hamas Will Pay': Bodies Of Three Teens Found

The bodies of three Israeli teenagers who went missing in the occupied West Bank earlier this month have been found.

The discovery was made near the village of Halhul, close to where 16-year-olds Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach disappeared on June 12.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking before a three-hour meeting of his security cabinet, said: "Hamas is responsible. Hamas will pay."

He added the teenagers "were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by wild beasts".

Since the discovery there have been a number of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, including on the southern city of Khan Younis. There have been no reports of injuries.

Any Israeli action to punish Hamas for the alleged murders would open "the gates of hell," a spokesman said.

A military build-up was reported in Hebron after the discovery

"If the occupiers carry out an escalation or a war, they will open the gates of hell on themselves." 

Israel has accused the Palestinian group of abducting the youths as they were hitch-hiking home near Hebron late at night.

But Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has denied it was involved in their disappearance.

There has reportedly been a large build-up of troops in Halhul, where security forces and Palestinians are said to have clashed.

A spokesman for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said they were "incidents of stone throwing, nothing more".

The teenagers' bodies were found buried under rocks in a field a few miles north of Hebron.

There have been airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since the bodies were found

The trio had apparently been shot soon after they were taken, according to security officials.

Binyamin Proper, who was among a group of volunteers that found the bodies, told Channel 2 TV a member of the search party "saw something suspicious on the ground, plants that looked out of place, moved them and moved some rocks and then found the bodies".

"We realised it was them and we called the army," he said.

US President Barack Obama condemned the deaths as a "senseless act of terror against innocent youth" and British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was an "appalling and inexcusable act of terror".

The bodies were found near Halhul, north of Hebron

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called it a "heinous act by enemies of peace".

Dozens of Palestinians have been detained in the search for Mr Frenkel from Nof Ayalon, who had dual Israeli-American citizenship, Mr Shaar from Telman and Mr Yifrach from Elad.

Among those held were a number of Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament and several prisoners recently released by Israel.

Sky's Tom Rayner, reporting from Jerusalem, said Israeli authorities "do not believe they (the youths) have been held for any period of time as hostages. They believe they were killed very quickly".

The teenagers were all students at a Yeshiva, or religious school, in Gush Etzion, a Jewish settlement bloc just south of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

Mr Netanyahu had said the alleged abductions were the result of this month's power-sharing deal between the Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah.

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Policy Chief Hits Out At Miliband's Leadership

Ed Miliband's leadership could be in trouble ahead of the next general election, according to a senior figure in the Labour party.

The head of Labour's policy review has admitted the party's recent statements on welfare are "cynical" and designed for "focus groups".

The critical comments by Jon Cruddas were made at a meeting of a left-wing think tank. A recording of the comments has been obtained by Sky News.

In the recordings, Mr Cruddas says: "My job is to look at Labour's policy agenda ... and I can assure you that these interesting ideas and remedies are not going to emerge through Labour's policy review right - irrespective of whether we want them to or not.

"And we have to learn how, why they aren't. And this example, this week is a really interesting one where we set up independent reviews to rethink social policy, economic policy, democracy, local government - they come up with ideas and they're just parked, parked.

"And instead ... cynical nuggets of policy to chime with our focus groups and our press strategies and our desire for a topline in terms of the 24-hour media cycle dominate."

Mr Cruddas warned that the "clock is ticking" for Labour and raised fears about interesting ideas being "parked".

Mr Miliband's leadership has been called into question

The comments come as Labour prepares to set out its vision for rebuilding Britain through major reforms of the state and big business in a series of events over the next week.

Responding to the comments, a Labour spokesperson said: "Ed Miliband and Jon Cruddas helped the IPPR [Institute for Public Policy Research] unveil its independent Condition of Britain report because they back the key principles behind it: strengthening institutions, rewarding hard work and handing power back to the people.

"We support some of its key recommendations to ensure young people sign up for training not sign on for benefits or raising JSA [Jobseeker's Allowance] for people who have paid in all their life.

"These go alongside the most radical plans for generations; from getting 200,000 homes built a year, raising the minimum wage, reforming the energy market, to devolving economic power to our great cities once again, these plans will help build a Britain that once again works for working people."

Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "This story is significant because of who is giving the comments.

"Jon Cruddas is the head of Labour's policy review. That's a senior position - it means he's effectively in charge of the way Labour formulates its proposals ahead of the next election.

"What he is specifically saying is that he is concerned the way Labour is making policies is not really working for the party."

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Radical Islamic Preacher Seeks Asylum In UK

The family of Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammad are applying for his asylum in the UK after claiming he had been tortured in Lebanon.

They say the radical preacher has suffered systematic torture while in custody at a maximum security prison.

The family say he should be allowed back into Britain on "humanitarian grounds" as his health has deteriorated and he is no longer able to walk.

Mohammad left the UK in 2005 and was barred from returning

The cleric caused outrage in the wake of the 2005 London bombings after saying he would not inform police if he knew Muslims were planning attacks.

He left the UK in 2005 and was told he would not be allowed to return.

But the cleric's son, Mohammad Bakri, told Sky News: "I'm here on the humanitarian basis. At the end of the day, many people find what he says distasteful, and he quotes things from the Islamic perspective.

"But I think unless you know the character, himself, like my father - I grew up with him - so therefore I understand the tactics that he uses to attract the media in order to pass the message of Islam.

"You may find that distasteful, but at the end of the day he has not committed any crimes in the UK."

Sky's Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White said the family's claims have not been independently verified.

"The families of Omar Bakri Mohammad say that he has been transferred to a maximum security prison ... in Lebanon," he said.

"They also say that he has been systematically tortured during his time in that maximum security prison.

"We have no independent verification of this, but the family insists that he is in very poor health.

"They claim that he is actually close to death and they're seeking an urgent appeal now to the UK authorities to have him returned to the UK under asylum."

The preacher speaks in London alongside Abu Hamza in 1999

Mohammad holds Syrian and Lebanese citizenship and lived in Britain for 20 years, where he headed the now-disbanded radical Islamist group al Muhajiroun.

He was among 54 people sentenced in Lebanon in November 2010 in trials of militants who fought deadly clashes with the Lebanese army in 2007.

He was convicted of belonging to an armed group that aimed to carry out terrorist acts and plots to kill Lebanese soldiers.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "An individual must be physically present in the UK in order to make a claim for asylum.

"Omar Bakri Mohammad was permanently excluded from the UK in 2005 on the grounds that his presence is not conducive to the public good.

"As Omar Bakri Mohammad is excluded from the UK, he will be unable to make a claim for asylum."

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PM Warns Juncker Vote Is 'Bad For All Of Europe'

David Cameron has warned it will be "bad for all of Europe" if arch-federalist Jean-Claude Juncker is nominated for the EU's top job in an unprecedented vote.

The Prime Minister insisted he was "completely unapologetic" about his outspoken opposition to the appointment of the former Luxembourg premier. 

He has forced today's vote on the nomination, breaking with tradition that the Commission chief is chosen by consensus of the EU's national heads of government.

Mr Cameron's stance has left him increasingly isolated at a two-day summit of the European Council.

Germany has thrown its weight behind Mr Juncker, while other potential allies for Mr Cameron - Sweden and the Netherlands - have dropped their opposition.

Angela Merkel is supporting Mr Juncker's nomination

Only Hungary remained as a possible partner for Britain in voting against his installation.

However, Britain insists its dissatisfaction with Mr Juncker is "not a unique view" and that privately other capitals have misgivings about his candidacy.

There are also widespread reports that Mr Juncker's liking for "a cognac at breakfast" was causing concerns in Brussels.

One European diplomat said: "His alcohol consumption has been raised by a number of leaders since the (European) parliamentary elections."

Mr Cameron said he continued to believe his fellow leaders were making a "mistake" to nominate Mr Juncker, who Britain regards as an obstacle to reform.

Diplomats have expressed concern about Mr Juncker's alcohol consumption

In an apparent swipe at leaders who have voiced disquiet behind closed doors, Mr Cameron said: "It's very important in Europe that you say what you say in private and it's the same as what you say in public."

Asked whether there could be consequences if the other 27 leaders refuse to accept the need for consensus, the Prime Minister said: "Everything has consequences in life.

"Obviously, I think proceeding in the way that countries are planning to proceed in choosing this individual, I believe that this is the wrong approach. And I think that would be bad for... all of Europe."

Mr Cameron made clear that defeat in Brussels would not affect his determination to press ahead with the renegotiation of Britain's EU membership.

That would be followed by an in/out referendum in 2017, if Conservatives win next year's General Election.

And the PM repeated his opposition to Mr Juncker as he arrived at the summit in Brussels, arguing there were times when "you stick to your principles and you stick to your convictions even if the odds are heavily stacked against you, rather than go along with something you believe is profoundly wrong".

He added: "The European elections showed there is huge disquiet about the way the European Union works, and yet the response I believe is going to be wrong on two grounds.

"Wrong on the grounds of principle. It's not right for the elected heads of government of the European countries to give up their right to nominate the head of the European Commission, the most important role in Europe. That is a bad principle.

"And it's the wrong person. Jean-Claude Juncker has been at the heart of the project to increase the power of Brussels and reduce the power of nation states for his entire working life.

"He's not the right person to take this organisation forward.

"I am very clear about the right thing to do. I know the odds are stacked against me, but that doesn't mean you change your mind, it means you stand up for what you believe and vote accordingly."

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