Ex-Liberal leader Lord Steel admits he knew Sir Cyril Smith had abused children but it 'never occurred' to him to hold an inquiry into the MP
David Steel told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse he 'assumed' Smith was guilty, after confronting him with allegations Smith did not deny
He said Smith told him police had investigated the claims and taken no action
Lord Steel, 80, said he had concluded 'he had no position in the matter' because the allegations predated Smith's membership of the Liberal Party
Lord David Steel, who recommended Cyril Smith for his 1988 knighthood, told IICSA today that Smith all but admitted his child sexual offences to him in a 1979 conversation
Sir Cyril Smith, who died in 2010, was Liberal MP for Rochdale from 1972 to 1992
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6806033/Ex-Liberal-leader-Lord-Steel-admits-knew-Sir-Cyril-Smith-abused-children.html