Starting Monday, officials with MI5 and Scotland Yard along with former ministers and MPs will be called to testify in a three-week inquiry into historical “coverups, conspiracies, and a tolerance for pedophilia” at the highest level of the British government. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) will be examining “whether Westminster institutions, including political parties, government departments, law enforcement, or intelligence agencies, have failed or are still failing to protect children from sexual abuse.” The inquiry will not look into past claims of child sex abuse that have been discredited in previous inquiries, but will instead consider “whether there was a culture in place in Westminster institutions that sought to shield people of public prominence from proper investigation, and tolerate their wrongdoing, at the expense of their victims.” Victims are also expected to testify.
