THE journalist who exposed the extent of Jimmy Savile’s sex offences has said he believes the government is using a drawn-out public inquiry into allegations of Westminster child abuse as a way to “ride out the storm” and a means of “killing” the scandal. Dan Davies, whose book, In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile, uncovers how he went undetected as a serial child abuser for decades, also questioned whether there was the “political will” among officials to get to the truth of the allegations.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Davies said he believed the current institutional response to abuse scandals was establishing drawn-out inquiries in order to deaden public outrage.