Tories step up pressure on Hodge

Hodge says she has learnt lessons

Tory MPs have stepped up pressure on the children's minister after comments about a man who was abused as a child.

Demetrious Panton threatened to sue Margaret Hodge after she described him as "extremely disturbed" in a letter of complaint to the BBC.

MP Tim Loughton said her fitness for the job had been called into question.

Mrs Hodge was the leader of Islington Council in the 1980s, when it emerged that children in the council's care had been abused in the past.

Regrets

She has been accused of failing to act, despite receiving warnings - an allegation she denies.

Her claim about 35-year-old Mr Panton, one of the victims, came in a letter to the BBC.

The only honourable course is for her to resign her position Tim Yeo Conservative spokesman Profile: Margaret Hodge

The letter was read out on Radio 4's Today programme - but Mrs Hodge said it was never meant to be published, and expressed regrets for events in Islington.

Mr Panton, who is considering taking legal action against the minister, said: "I am not extremely disturbed. I have never been extremely disturbed."

The philosophy graduate, whose job now includes advising the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, added: "I am shocked and horrified that I've been labelled as such.

Mrs Hodge says she's up to the job

"I now wish to find out what options are available to me through the judicial process."

Mrs Hodge insists she has learned lessons from the scandals in Islington.

She also expressed regret for events there, describing what had happened to Mr Panton as "dreadful".

Her parliamentary private secretary, Michael Foster, said on Friday she was an "incredibly talented minister".

He said the controversy was overshadowing her achievements.

"The problem I have is that all the good work she is doing is not getting through because of the discussion about the content of the letter," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Opposition politicians have already called for Mrs Hodge to resign over her comments.

Urgent debate

The new shadow health and education minister Tim Yeo said Ms Hodge would not make a statement about the allegations to the House of Commons.

"The only honourable course is for her to resign her position," he said.

We have ... under the children's minister ... the most rigorous and radical policy protecting children's rights ever Peter Hain Commons leader

And during business questions in the House of Commons on Thursday, Tory Andrew Mackay said Mrs Hodge's letter had "blackened a courageous whistleblower who brought to light the dreadful cases of child abuses in Islington which she had ignored" as leader.

Shadow Commons leader Oliver Heald called for an urgent debate after "widespread reports" about the handling of the allegations and the "insulting and demeaning way" victims were treated.

Mr Loughton told MPs the minister's tenure as children's minister had been "completely bedevilled by her fighting a rearguard action about her suitability for the post, which has been seriously called into question by her irrational remarks this week".

But Commons Leader Peter Hain said Mrs Hodge had helped put together "the most rigorous and radical policy protecting children's rights ever from any government in this country".

On Wednesday, Tony Blair's official spokesman said Mrs Hodge "has the full confidence of the prime minister".