Oafish MP (11/10/15)
Tom Watson is a bit of an oaf in my opinion which was formed long before the latest incident in which the Labour MP has made a terrible fool of himself.
Back in 2006 Watson was one of the group of Labour MPs who all resigned on the same day, in a cynical, co-ordinated exercise aimed at ousting Tony Blair who was the Labour leader and Prime Minister at the time.
If I remember correctly, Tom Watson was spotted shortly afterwards at the home of Gordon Brown and tried to brush off questions about plotting against Blair with the bizarre claim that he had travelled all the way to Scotland to deliver a teddy bear to Brown's recently born son.
Ever since I've regarded Watson as a dodgy sort and although he made a name for himself in pursuing the phone hacking scandal at the News of the World, it's significant that Watson was completely uninterested in pursuing the same story at the Mirror Group of newspapers, presumably because of their traditional support for the Labour Party.
The latest scandal to hit Watson, now Labour's deputy leader, involves his deliberate smear against the former Conservative minister, Leon Brittan, of whom Watson said: 'He is close to evil as any human being could get" - without even a shred of evidence to support his claim.
Lord Brittan has since died and Watson has issued a qualified apology by claiming that he had a duty to report the abuse allegations against Brittan to the police because, at the time, he did not know the allegations to be false.
But these are weasel words, of course, since Watson had no reason to publicise the allegations in the way that he did, so for me the man is a terrible coward and a bully.
Tom Watson 'must apologise' over Lord Brittan claims
BBC UK
Image copyright - AFP Image caption - Tom Watson should "apologise in public", Sir Samuel Brittan says
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson should apologise after police dropped a rape inquiry against Leon Brittan, the former home secretary's brother says.
Sir Samuel Brittan said Mr Watson, who demanded prosecutors review abuse allegations made against Lord Brittan, had made "unfounded accusations".
Lord Brittan died in January without being told there was no case for him to answer over an alleged rape in 1967.
Mr Watson has previously said his motivation was to help victims.
He also argued he had helped bring historical sex abuse cases to court.
The BBC has tried to contact Mr Watson but he has not responded.
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson should apologise after police dropped a rape inquiry against Leon Brittan, the former home secretary's brother says.
Sir Samuel Brittan said Mr Watson, who demanded prosecutors review abuse allegations made against Lord Brittan, had made "unfounded accusations".
Lord Brittan died in January without being told there was no case for him to answer over an alleged rape in 1967.
Mr Watson has previously said his motivation was to help victims.
He also argued he had helped bring historical sex abuse cases to court.
The BBC has tried to contact Mr Watson but he has not responded.
Image copyrightPAImage captionLord Brittan died before hearing the case against him would not proceed
The Crown Prosecution Service found in July 2013 that there was not enough evidence for a prosecution over the claim Lord Brittan raped a 19-year-old student in 1967.
The case was reopened last year after Mr Watson wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions. While seriously ill, Lord Brittan was interviewed under caution.
No charges were brought and police said they would not have taken further action.
But the fact he was questioned enabled the media to name Lord Brittan as a suspect in a sex abuse case.
The Crown Prosecution Service found in July 2013 that there was not enough evidence for a prosecution over the claim Lord Brittan raped a 19-year-old student in 1967.
The case was reopened last year after Mr Watson wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions. While seriously ill, Lord Brittan was interviewed under caution.
No charges were brought and police said they would not have taken further action.
But the fact he was questioned enabled the media to name Lord Brittan as a suspect in a sex abuse case.
'Judge and jury'
Journalist Sir Samuel said Mr Watson "should apologise to my sister-in-law for making unfounded accusations against my brother".
"And he should apologise in public as well," he told the Daily Mail.
Tory MP Nigel Evans, himself cleared of sexual abuse, agreed Mr Watson should apologise to Lord Brittan's family.
"Even when Leon had died, Tom Watson decided to repeat the allegations," Mr Evans said. "It is totally unfounded."
Mr Evans told the BBC Mr Watson had "set himself up as judge and jury".
'Witch-hunt'
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "As vocal as he was at that time, it is amazing that we have heard nothing from him since the revelation that the allegations were not going to be proceeded with."
Former Chancellor Norman Lamont said police investigations into historical abuse risked becoming a "witch-hunt".
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "I visited Lord Brittan several times in his last days and saw the suffering of a man under the shadow of the vilest accusations. This was an extremely painful time for his wife."
Earlier this week, a vulnerable man who made sex abuse allegations against high-profile figures including Lord Brittan told the BBC he may have been led into making the claims by campaigners.
