“I put jobs in Rochdale first” says Sir Cyril Smith

Sir Cyril Smith

Former Rochdale MP Sir Cyril Smith has reacted with anger after being accused of covering up asbestos problems in Rochdale in the early nineteen eighties. Sir Cyril was responding to allegations, reported on Rochdale Online on Friday 29 August, made in the ‘New Statesman’. Sir Cyril was also accused of letting the Managing Director write his Parliamentary speeches.

Sir Cyril said: “I must make it clear that I always put the jobs of Rochdale folk first. At the time, people knew of the risks of working at the site. A small minority were affected, that’s not that I didn’t do everything I could to help. Like any industrial job at the time, there were risks. What you have to understand was that there were 2,500 local people employed and many more thousands reliant on this site.

“When I approached my speech in the early 1980s, I did as any good MP would do and contacted the Managing Director with regards to my speech. I tried to find out his side of the story as thousands relied on the site. I did not read the speech out verbatim as seems to have been indicated. Yes, it’s true that I used information provided as background for my speech but they were my own words.

“This publication seemed to claim that I acted because of a financial interest in the company. Again, not true, as I indicated in my speech in 1984 I owned 1,300 shares in Turner and Newell Limited, out of a total issue of 108,000,000 (MILLION). I purchased the minimum amount of shares in order to speak at their AGM. Why? I wanted to ensure that the interests Rochdale first at their AGM. I sold the shares at zero profit soon after.

“I am thick skinned after a life in politics and this is a rather clumsy attempt to smear my name. I am sorry that people have suffered and I have fully backed dozens of people in their fight for compensation.

"At no time did any member of the Rochdale Labour Party contact me with any concerns either by letter or phone call. I find their current comments to be ignorant, opportunist and damn right hypocritical. The local Trades Unions also did not object.”

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said: “Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Whatever the then known dangers of asbestos, Sir Cyril was faced with the possible loss of thousands of jobs. No MP worth their salt would sit back and let the factory just shut down. Cyril worked hard to ensure that the people of Rochdale were protected as much as possible.

"Labour and Conservative MPs at the time agreed with the line that Cyril was taking.

"The more appropriate question might be why the report in the New Statesman isn't also mentioning these MPs.

"I will continue to work with groups like the Save Spodden Valley Campaign Team to ensure the safe future of the T & N Site.

"It’s a shame that this has been used as a political football to try and smear Sir Cyril, this issue should be non-political."