There has been much criticism of the award of a peerage to Tom Watson, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, on the recommendation of Keir Starmer. Watson was quite rightly condemned for encouraging the Metropolitan Police to pursue totally false allegations of child sex abuse, based on the ludicrous claims of a fantasist (now serving a long prison sentence), against distinguished public figures, including Leon Brittan and Field Marshal Lord Bramall, who were hounded mercilessly. In his maiden speech in the Lords on 21 December, Watson apologised, prompting the following letter from Alistair Lexden, which was published in The Daily Telegraph on 27 December.
SIR – The former Labour deputy leader’s words of remorse in the Lords (“Tom Watson apologises for pushing false sex abuse claims against Lord Brittan”, report, December 22) struck the right note.
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest’s many merits include admiration of Stanley Baldwin, who coined the phrase “one nation”. He now promises to champion police reform on a cross-party basis. It is a subject I have raised several times with strong support from his Labour colleagues, and he must now join us.
Our target is the Home Office, which must, among other things, give Sir Mark Rowley the extra powers he needs to purge the Met of corrupt and underperforming officers, and end the astonishing state of affairs that permits a former chief constable, facing a gross misconduct hearing after a damning independent report, to retain a senior police role. I hope Lord Watson’s apology will be noted on the episcopal benches of the Lords.
Lord Lexden
London SW1
