Leon Brittan rape inquiry: James O'Brien defends Tom Watson on LBC

The radio journalist said the story 'frightens the life out of me'

James O'Brien had the discussion on his phone-in radio show on LBC (LBC/YouTube)

The broadcaster James O’Brien has passionately defended Tom Watson after a caller to his radio show said the deputy Labour leader should apologise about rape allegations made against former home secretary Leon Brittan.

The discussion on his phone-in radio show on LBC came as the late Conservative MP’s brother, Sir Samuel Brittan said the Labour deputy leader should apologise for making “unfounded accusations against my brother” after police dropped a rape inquiry against the former home secretary, who died earlier this year.

Mr O’Brien responded to caller Michael’s argument, saying: “What the hell do we want our MPs to use their position for, if not to ensure that allegations of child sex abuse undertaken by people at the top of the parliamentary ladder have actually been properly investigated?”

When Michael said Mr Watson should not have written to the DPP about the allegation against Brittan - which dates back to 1967 and should have instead told the police, Mr O’Brien said police have now been asked by Boris Johnson to provide an explanation about the investigation.

The exchange then ended but the radio journalist continued to make his case saying: “He [Mr Watson] merely reported allegations and I want to live in a country where children, when they’ve grown up, who make these allegations get taken seriously.”

After The Daily Mail called for Mr Watson to apologise on the front page of their newspaper, Mr O’Brien said the front pages of the paper and The Times turned the situation into a question that’s “ever so slightly sleazy”.

“I read these men and what I hear is ‘I think we take these accusers too seriously… the do-gooding liberals have gone too far on this, they’ve started listening to everybody who accuses somebody of having abused them when they were a child’”.

Mr O’Brien said: “I hate this story. It frightens the life out of me.”

Tom Watson defended himself, writing he went too far when he repeated an allegation that Lord Brittan was “as close to evil as any human could get” but defended handing the allegations to the DPP, saying he felt it was his “duty to do so”.