The widow of the late Lord Leon Brittan, Lady Diana Brittan, has expressed her profound disappointment after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced the abrupt discontinuation of misconduct proceedings against Metropolitan Police officer Steve Rodhouse. This decision comes in the wake of numerous false allegations that had previously marred Lord Brittan’s legacy, implicating him in a purported paedophile ring supposedly linked to Westminster. Lady Brittan described the entire investigative process as fraught with “a complete lack of professionalism,” indicating a significant erosion of her trust both in the Metropolitan Police and the police watchdog responsible for the inquiry.
Lord Brittan was wrongfully accused by Carl Beech, a man who turned out to be a fraudster and paedophile himself. The investigation, known as Operation Midland, was initiated in November 2014 and lasted until March 2016, costing the Metropolitan Police a staggering £2.5 million. Unfortunately, Lord Brittan passed away from cancer in January 2015, never having learned that there was no substantive case against him. In 2019, Beech was sentenced to 18 years in prison on multiple counts, including perverting the course of justice and several child sexual offences. Lady Brittan reflected on her husband’s undeserved tarnished reputation, noting how society had treated those accused under Operation Midland as “guilty until proven innocent.”
The allegations against Rodhouse arose due to his leadership in conducting the flawed inquiry. He had been under investigation for gross misconduct since 2023 and was set to face a disciplinary hearing on June 16. However, the IOPC recently revealed that the proceedings would cease following the disclosure of previously unavailable material by the Metropolitan Police. Rodhouse welcomed the IOPC’s decision, asserting that the allegations against him were unfounded.
The Metropolitan Police stated that they were “pleased” the matter had been resolved, explaining that they had initially believed that older emails pertinent to the investigation had been deleted. They emphasized that the eventual revelation of these emails and their sharing was entirely unintentional. The IOPC later issued a statement expressing regret that requested materials from three years prior only recently resurfaced, reinforcing the need for scrutiny into the procedures that allowed such an oversight.
Although Beech’s conviction brought some semblance of justice, Lady Brittan contended that true closure remains elusive. Reflecting on her experiences following her husband’s death, she recounted the harrowing day that the Metropolitan Police raided their home only six weeks after her husband’s passing. At that moment, she was isolated and grieving, attempting to respond to condolence letters, but instead, she found herself subjected to an invasive police search. Lady Brittan lamented that the circumstances surrounding this violation left her communal grief severely interrupted and diminished her family’s experience of mourning.
Despite the fact that Beech was ultimately jailed and Lord Brittan’s name cleared, Lady Brittan continues to feel that her husband’s public service legacy is indelibly stained by the scandal. She wasted no time in recalling that he was revered as one of the youngest home secretaries since Winston Churchill, yet his death led to posthumous reflections intertwined with allegations that had no basis in truth. These reflections contributed to the narrative of a once-respected public servant being unjustly linked to a sensational scandal widely publicized during the proceeding investigations.
The Metropolitan Police officially recognized the damaging repercussions of Operation Midland’s handling of accusations against various high-profile individuals. In a response to the fallout, they issued formal apologies, along with offerings of compensation to Lord Brittan’s family in acknowledgment of the anguish caused by the accusations.
Lady Brittan now calls for accountability concerning the police’s actions to ensure that perpetrators of wrongful accusations, like her husband, do not continue to face similar fates in the future. She underscores that regardless of stature—whether high-profile or not—anyone who experiences false claims suffers reputational damage and undue stress. Her fervent wish is for a reckoning that holds individuals accountable for their alleged misconduct during these investigations, an act she believes could have led to a sense of closure for the families affected, including her own.