Hodge on the ropes over abuse scandal
Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children, in the job for less than three weeks, faced calls last night for her to be sacked after allegations emerged that she had failed to confront a child abuse scandal in the early 1990s.
The official opposition demanded her resignation after social workers accused her of failing to deal with a child abuse case when she was leader of Islington council.
Mrs. Hodge was charged with failing to support two London social workers, Liz Davies and David Cofie, over allegations that youngsters in care were in danger of sexual abuse.
Liz Davies, one of the social workers, told the London Evening Standard: “Despite what she has said, Margaret Hodge definitely knew everything right from the start – and by ‘start’ I mean more than two years before it was exposed in your newspaper (in 1992).”
Mrs. Hodge, MP for Barking, admitted yesterday she had shown a “deep lack of understanding” over what had occurred in the children’s homes.
She told the BBC: “There were terrible things happening in children’s homes, and I deeply, deeply, deeply regret it. Never a month goes by when I don’t think about it.
“Of course it was happening in Islington, but there were 500 investigations going on into children’s homes across the country. I think there was a deep lack of understanding, by myself, by the social services, by policy makers, by all of us as to actually the state of what was happening in children’s homes.”
Eleanor Laing, her Tory shadow, accused the PM of cronyism in electing Mrs. Hodge to the post:
“I don’t see how anyone can have faith in Margaret Hodge to do this vitally important job properly. The allegations made today by the two senior Islington social workers are shocking. Islington council failed to protect children in its care from paedophiles, Margaret Hodge was leader of that council.
“She herself has accepted some responsibility for the dreadful things that happened. She let down those vulnerable, innocent children. Why has Tony Blair chosen her to speak for children now? There are hundreds of other Labour MPs; couldn’t he have given this responsibility to someone who has shown themselves worthy of it?”
The PM’s official spokesman pledged last night to stand by Mrs. Hodge: “The Prime Minister has put Margaret Hodge in charge of this particular portfolio because she is a capable minister who he believes will do a good job.”
