HOME secretary Priti Patel has “not received the report” on the unsolved murder of Cwmbran private detective Daniel Morgan, MPs have heard.
Mr Morgan, a private investigator, was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987.
Despite five police inquiries and an inquest, no-one has been brought to justice over the father-of-two’s death, with the Metropolitan Police admitting corruption had hampered the original murder investigation.
The panel examining the case had been expected to publish its findings on Monday but Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg told Parliament that the home secretary and the Home Office are yet to receive them.
Mr Morgan’s family have expressed anger over the delay in the publication of the long-awaited document, and the issue was raised by Labour MP for the Rhondda Chris Bryant on Thursday.
Addressing Mr Rees-Mogg, Mr Bryant said: “The family were delighted when the former home secretary, then prime minister [Theresa May], set up an independent panel to investigate all of this in 2013.
“That has now completed its work. The understanding, because it says so in the terms of reference laid out by the Home Office, is that the home secretary would only arrange publication to Parliament – not review it, not redact it, not interfere in any way at all, but publish it to Parliament.
“She’s refusing to do so. Will the leader of the House please make sure that this is no longer delayed because otherwise it is an outrage to the family, a kick in the teeth as they themselves have said.”
Responding, Mr Rees-Mogg told the House: “The issue that (Mr Bryant) raises is one of great importance and great concern which is why the former home secretary set up this inquiry.
“He is unfortunately wrong because the home secretary (Priti Patel) has not received the report from the commission. And the home secretary will follow her statutory responsibilities.
“This was checked with the Home Office this morning and I asked the question. I was told that the home secretary had not received the report so I asked the obvious follow-up question: Is it in the post room of the Home Office? It has not been received by the Home Office as of yet.”
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