MP: 'Paedophile Ring Linked To Ex-PM's Aide'

A historic paedophile ring may have been connected to Downing Street, a senior Labour politician has suggested.

Labour MP Tom Watson, deputy chairman of the party, alleged that a member of a notorious group was linked to a former Number 10 aide.

During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Watson referred to the case of Peter Righton, who was convicted of importing and possessing illegal homosexual pornographic material in 1992.

He said: "The evidence file used to convict Peter Righton, if it still exists, contains clear intelligence of a widespread paedophile ring.

"One of its members boasts of his links to a senior aide of a former prime minister, who says he could smuggle indecent images of children from abroad.

"The leads were not followed up, but if the files still exist, I want to ensure that the Metropolitan Police secure the evidence, re-examine it and investigate clear intelligence suggesting a powerful paedophile network linked to Parliament and Number 10."

Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "very difficult and complex case" and he was "not entirely sure" which former prime minister Mr Watson was talking about.

He vowed to look at the case "very carefully and see what the Government can do" to help give the Labour MP the assurances he wanted.

Writing on his blog later, Mr Watson added: "The central allegation was that a large body of material seized in the raid on Righton's home had not been fully investigated...

"Within the material seized at Righton's home were letters from known and convicted paedophiles. The contact, who has seen the letters, claimed that one paedophile in particular was of great concern.

"He said that the paedophile, who worked with children, boasted of a key aide to a former PM who could help get hold of indecent images of children."

Mr Watson made clear he was not referring to the former MP Sir Peter Morrison, Margaret Thatcher's parliamentary private secretary and deputy chairman of the party.

Mr Watson raised the Righton case after he was contacted by people close to the investigation who said they could not understand why the wider paedophile network had not been properly investigated.

The MP has also written to the Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe with more details about the case.

His office was bombarded with calls on Wednesday as speculation mounted about exactly who he had been referring to. "I'll say more when I can but this may not be for some time," he wrote.