Andrew Mitchell Resigns After 'Plebs' Row

Andrew Mitchell has resigned from his role as the Government's Chief Whip in the wake of claims he called police officers "plebs" in Downing Street.

He has been replaced by veteran MP Sir George Young.

Writing to the Prime Minister, Mr Mitchell said: "It is with enormous regret - not least because of the tremendous support and loyalty you have shown me during recent weeks - that I am writing to resign as your Chief Whip.

"Over the last two days it has become clear to me that whatever the rights and wrongs of the matter I will not be able to fulfil my duties as we would wish. Nor is it fair to continue to put my family and colleagues through this upsetting and damaging publicity.

"I have made clear to you - and I give you my categorical assurance again - that I did not, never have and never would call a police officer a "pleb" or a "moron" or used any of the other pejorative descriptions attributed to me."

He went on: "The offending comment and the reason for my apology to the police was my parting remark 'I thought you guys were supposed to f****** help us'.  

"It was obviously wrong of me to use such bad language and I am very sorry about it and grateful to the police officer for accepting my apology."

Mr Mitchell had only been in the job for six weeks

In a letter to Mr Mitchell, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I understand why you have reached the conclusion you have, and why you have decided to resign from the Government.

"I regret that this has become necessary, and I am very grateful for all you have done, both in Government and in Opposition - as well as for the kind words in your letter."

Mr Cameron added: "As you have acknowledged, the incident in Downing Street was not acceptable and you were right to apologise for it."

Paying tribute to his work, Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith tweeted: "Andrew Mitchell should be remembered as the best Development Secretary this country has had."

Michael Fabricant MP said online: "I spoke to Andrew yesterday about this and I was frank. This has been playing out like a long Greek tragedy and I hope that now he will take a break and rebuild his strength. He is a very able individual and I am sure he will return to public life in due course."

Labour's shadow cabinet office minister Michael Dugher MP said: "After weeks in complete denial, Andrew Mitchell has finally bowed to public pressure.

"What people will want to know is why, when the entire country could see that what Andrew Mitchell did was wrong, the Prime Minister totally failed to act.

The Prime Minister said he regrets the resignation had become necessary

"David Cameron is left looking profoundly weak and totally out of touch, doing everything he could to hold on to Andrew Mitchell only for his Chief Whip to bow to the inevitable given the understandable public anger.

"This Tory Government day by day show they think it's one rule for them, another for everyone else."

Sky's Political Editor Adam Boulton said: "I was expecting Andrew Mitchell to go last Friday when it was very clear from the Conservative Party conference the previous week there was very little support for him.

"Even those who sympathised with him for losing his temper felt that he was damaging the Government.

"This week the Prime Minister tried a final push to stand by him, but what I think has led to him making this decision to go to Chequers to speak to the Prime Minister on his return from Europe is the fact that he simply hasn't had the support from his own party and, crucially, from the fraternity of whips and ex-whips.

"There has been a lot of unrest from the present whips office about how they're going to maintain discipline with a Chief Whip who has damaged his own authority and reputation in this way."

The Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, Paul McKeever, said: "It is not good to see anyone fall from public office but the decision by the Prime Minister to accept Andrew Mitchell's resignation seemed almost inevitable.

"Andrew Mitchell has apologised to our Metropolitan Police colleague and our colleague has accepted the apology. We hope this matter is now closed."

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Cardiff Hit-And-Runs: Tributes To Dead Mother

Tributes have been paid to a mother of three who died in a series of hit-and-run crashes in Cardiff, which also left seven children injured.

The woman was named locally as 32-year-old mother Karina Menzies, who died after she was knocked down outside a fire station in the Welsh capital.

A 31-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in police custody for questioning in the wake of the collisions, which occurred at five different locations in the Ely and Leckwith areas.

A total of seven children and four adults were injured in the crashes.

Friends of Miss Menzies have expressed their grief on social networking sites.

The white van pictured after being stopped by police

Facebook user Katy Johanna Benson wrote: "Rest in piece (sic) Karina Menzies. Sleep tight beautiful angel and may the scum responsible for this senseless, evil murder be brought to justice. Cant (sic) imagine what her family are feeling."

The drama began when South Wales Police received calls about an accident on Crossways Road in Ely at 3.30pm on Friday.

One eyewitness reported a woman being dragged along underneath the vehicle suffering terrible injuries.

There were soon reports of hit-and-run collisions in several locations in the west of the city, including Grand Avenue, Cowbridge Road West and the Leckwith Retail Park.

Ely sub-postmaster Shady Taha, 29, served two girls and a young woman moments before one of the hit-and-runs in Grand Avenue, immediately outside a row of shops.

Police were called to five locations in Cardiff

He said the two girls, aged about 10, and a woman in her mid-20s had been browsing the birthday cards in the store before buying a jar of coffee and leaving.

"All of a sudden I heard a bang. I looked out and across the road one girl was on the floor and the other girl was screaming," he said.

"I heard a van speed off but I did not see it."

Other residents said pedestrians were deliberately targeted by someone driving a van.

Ramesh Patel, who runs RM Patel Convenience Stores on Cowbridge Road West, said: "I was in the shop working at the time so I didn't actually see anything but customers have said a white van purposely drove at people.

Police examine the scene of one of the crashes

"Obviously, when someone tries to run you down deliberately that is frightening, not pleasant at all.

"I was working here in the store so I didn't see that myself but that is what most people who have come in here have said. People seem very shocked."

Superintendent Julian Williams said the suspect was arrested while driving a white Iveco transit van and was taken to Cardiff Bay police station.

"Whether the actions were deliberate or reckless is a matter for the inquiry and the person will obviously be spoken to," he added.

The injured were taken to the city's University Hospital of Wales, where the A&E department was initially shut to anyone not involved in the crashes, but has since reopened.

Dr Grahame Shortland, medical director at the hospital, said those being treated mostly had fractures and head injuries.

Cardiff NHS had appealed for blood donors in the immediate aftermath.

Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan said the people of the city were "waking up to a nightmare that's all too real".

He added: "I don't think anyone can quite believe the events that were witnessed in and around this area."

South Wales Police is asking anyone with any information on the collisions to contact them on 01656 655555.

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Two Held After Children Killed In House Fire

Two people have been arrested by police investigating a house fire in which a woman and two children died.

A 20-year-old woman, a boy aged four and a two-year-old girl were pronounced dead by firefighters after the blaze broke out at a property in Maes Y Groes, Prestatyn, on Friday night, a North Wales Police spokeswoman said.

A 23-year-old man and a 15-month-old baby were taken to hospital by ambulance, she added.

Neighbours said the victims lived in a top-floor flat at the property.

Fire crews recovered five people from inside the property

Adele Gordon said: "There were people everywhere. This man came running up the street shouting 'my kids are in there, my kids are in there'.

"People started smashing the windows but the smoke was mad, I've never seen smoke like it. It was thick black smoke bellowing out of the house."

Another neighbour, Mike Foster said: "I can't beleive it. I'm just in shock. I didn't even know them but I'm just so upset."

A joint investigation is being carried out by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police.

A Welsh Ambulance Services spokeswoman said the man and baby were taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital.

The man was later transferred to Whiston Hospital, Merseyside, while the baby was moved to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Both were said to be in a serious condition.

The spokeswoman described the property as a house that had been converted into flats.

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Boy Scouts Of America Publish Sex Abuse Files

Confidential papers showing US scout leaders covered up alleged sexual abuse inflicted on their young members have been published.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has released decades worth of so-called "perversion files", showing how a range of authorities - from police to church pastors - quietly allowed scoutmasters and others accused of molesting children to go free.

In many instances - more than a third, according to the Scouts' own count - police were not told about the reports of abuse. And even when they were, sometimes local law enforcement did nothing, seeking to protect the reputation of scouting.

The Oregon Supreme Court ordered the papers, dating from 1959 to 1985 - and a handful from later years - to be released, despite objections played out in a lengthy legal battle from the Scouts.

The boxes of newly released files containing allegations of sexual abuse

The 14,500 pages of confidential files, including handwritten notes, reveal details of alleged abuses by more than 1,200 scout leaders and other adults.

Officially called the Boy Scouts Ineligible Volunteer Files, some of the papers had been released previously, but others were made public for the first time.

In one case from the files, a distraught mother walked into a Louisiana sheriff's office in 1965 and said a 31-year-old scoutmaster had raped one of her sons and molested two others.

Six days later, the scoutmaster sat down in front of a microphone in the same station and confessed. He admitted to raping a 17-year-old boy on a camping trip and sexually molesting two other boys. The victims corroborated his confession.

Seven days later, the decision was made not to pursue charges against him.

A boy scout statue outside the organisation's American HQ

The man "was asked to leave the parish, and if he was caught around or near any boy or youth organisation, he would be sent to state prison immediately", a scouting executive wrote to national headquarters. "We are indeed sorry that scouting was involved."

The lawyers who unveiled the files said BSA had not done enough to root out paedophiles using the youth movement to prey on minors.

"What these files represent is ... the pain and the anguish of thousands of scouts," said lawyer Paul Mones, while presenting details of the files at a press conference in the northwestern US city of Portland.

Mr Mones said the files "demonstrate the depth and breadth of the BSA's vast knowledge about the threats to scouts by scoutmasters and adult leaders who used their authority ... to sexually molest generations of boys".

The lawyers highlighted a 2010 court case, in which an assistant scoutmaster in a Mormon Church-sponsored troop sexually molested a boy in the 1980s.

A Boy Scouts of America handbook

The abuser involved had previously confessed to molesting 17 other boys in the troop, but was allowed to return to scouting within a few months and then found a new victim.

Responding to the release, BSA national leader Wayne Perry reiterated an apology to the victims.

He said: "There have been instances where people misused their positions ... to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong.

"Where those involved in scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest and sincere apologies to victims and their families."

In a statement on its website, BSA also said it has improved its procedures to ensure safety, including now requiring background checks and formal training of its leaders.

The uniform worn by Boy Scouts of America

But Mr Mones said the organisation, founded as part of the international Scouting Movement in 1910, has not done enough.

The BSA has "made some improvements, but we think there's more still to be done," said the lawyer, noting that on average each abuser typically molested between five and 25 scouts.

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Smoke-Filled Jet Evacuated On Runway

A passenger jet has been evacuated on the runway at Glasgow Airport following reports of smoke filling the cabin.

The incident, at 7.40am, involved a Jet2.com aircraft - flight LS177- bound for Alicante in Spain carrying 187 passengers.

The company said the plane, a Boeing 737-800, made an emergency stop on the runway just prior to take off because of smoke in the cabin.

Scottish Ambulance Service say at least four people sustained injuries, which are not thought to be serious.

The incident disrupted other flights scheduled to leave Glasgow.

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BNP's Nick Griffin Defends Twitter Posts

BNP leader Nick Griffin has defended comments made on Twitter about a gay couple at the centre of a landmark legal ruling.

The MEP published the address of Michael Black and John Morgan on the social networking site and called for a demonstration to be held outside their home.

Cambridgeshire Police last night said it was investigating the incident and Dyfed-Powys Police said it was liaising with the force.

The tweets, under the username @nickgriffinmep, followed Mr Black, 64, and his 59-year-old partner Mr Morgan's win against the owner of bed and breakfast accommodation who refused to let them stay in a double room because of her religious views.

The couple, from Brampton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, sought damages from Susanne Wilkinson after she would not let them have the room at the Swiss Bed and Breakfast in Cookham, Berkshire, in March 2010 despite them having made a reservation and paid a deposit.

 One of the tweets read: "So Messrs Black & Morgan, at (their address). A British Justice team will come up to Huntington & give you a...

"...bit of drama by way of reminding you that an English couple's home is their castle. Say No to heterophobia!"

Mr Griffin told Sky News: "I was very angry in the way in which left-wing political activists and a minority of gay activists are working with left-wing judges to use the Human Rights Act to persecute ordinary people, especially Christians.

"I most definitely didn't post a menacing message and there's nothing inciteful, I said that we'd be holding a demonstration on behalf of everybody including gay people to decide who they have and don't have in their homes.

"I don't think that could be described as menacing.

"I only regret that we haven't so far found the address of the judge who made that outrageous judgement because when we do we'll be looking at a demonstration somewhere near that."

Mr Morgan said the tweets had made him feel "uncomfortable".

"We live in a reasonably small village and I don't think either of us expect a mass demonstration but we might be wrong."

Mr Black said Mr Griffin had misunderstood the law on discrimination.

"Nick Griffin has missed the point that the difference between what he's saying and the law is that if somebody opens a B&B that is offering a service to the public, it's a business, it's not a private home.

"Whereas everyone has the choice as to who to admit to their own home, if you're offering a service to the public you have to abide by the laws."

 A Cambridgeshire Police spokeswoman said: "We have received a number of calls in relations to the tweets and are looking into the complaints we have received.

"Officers will also visit the men mentioned in the tweets as part of our inquiries."

The case at Reading County Court concluded the couple had suffered unlawful discrimination.

At the time, Mr Black, an exams consultant and writer, protested at their treatment but the owner refused to allow them to stay as it was "against her convictions".

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Missing Ben Needham: New Search In Greece

British police investigating the disappearance of Ben Needham are heading to Greece to search an area close to where he went missing 21 years ago.

Ben vanished on the island of Kos in July 1991 when he was 21 months old, after his mother and grandparents moved there from Sheffield.

How Ben might look in his early twenties

Despite a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to him, no trace of the youngster has been found.

A team of search experts will begin examining the grounds of the farmhouse from which Ben disappeared tomorrow.

They will then decide whether any areas should be dug up in an effort to find out if he is buried there.

His mother, Kerry Needham, 41, told the Daily Mirror: "This is an elimination process and that's how I'm dealing with it.

"It's one of the most important things to happen in 21 years."

The search, which is expected to last up to 10 days, follows a request from police in Greece for extra support.

The Daily Mirror said it would centre on a mound of rubble near the family home, which Mrs Needham has previously said she believed was already there when Ben went missing.

South Yorkshire Police, which is leading the operation, said it would also involve a forensic archaeologist and search dogs.

A spokesman for the force said: "During the past 18 months, South Yorkshire Police has reviewed all material held by the Greek police in relation to Ben's disappearance in order to support the Greek enquiry.

"We have also obtained Ben's DNA from Sheffield Children's Hospital."

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New York Fed 'Bomber' Is A Bank Manager's Son

The man arrested for allegedly trying to blow up a weapon of mass destruction outside the US Federal Reserve building in Manhattan is the son of a bank manager, reports say.

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Apple Loses Samsung Copyright Appeal

Apple has lost its appeal over a High Court decision that the Samsung Galaxy Tab does not infringe its copyright.

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Crowd Racism Mars England U21 Win Over Serbia

England's U21 side were subjected to racist chants and pelted with seats, coins and stones during their European Championship play-off in Serbia.

Danny Rose after the final whistle blew

Captain Jordan Henderson praised his players for their reaction to the alleged racist abuse and called on Uefa to take the appropriate action.

The Football Association reported "a number of incidents of racism" to Uefa after ugly scenes marred a 1-0 win for Stuart Pearce's team in the second leg of their play-off in Krusevac.

Andros Townsend separates Danny Rose (l) and Sasa Markovic of Serbia

Liverpool midfielder Henderson said on www.thefa.com: "There was a lot of racist abuse out there from the stands and a lot going on after the game, which is hard to take for the players."

Defender Danny Rose was sent off after the final whistle after apparently responding angrily to monkey taunts from the crowd.

Scuffles also broke out when supporters invaded the field moments after Connor Wickham's stoppage-time goal secured a 2-0 aggregate success and a place at next year's finals in Israel.

Connor Wickham (l) celebrates his goal Danny Rose is sent off following his angry reaction after the game

Henderson added: "The players coped with the abuse really well. It's not nice. They kept their heads and were professional.

"I thought our players were brilliant and conducted themselves very well. The players completely condemn what happened.

Nikola Ninkovic (r) of Serbia is held back as Raheem Sterling looks on

"There were also stones, coins and seats getting thrown at us. I didn't understand why Danny Rose was sent off at the end - I didn't see he did anything wrong, other than get abused."

A statement from the FA read: "The FA condemns both the scenes of racism and the confrontation at the final whistle during which time our players and staff were under extreme provocation.

Serbia's assistant coach Dejan Govedarica (c) tries to keep players apart

"The FA has reported a number of incidents of racism to Uefa following the fixture.

"These were seemingly aimed at a number of black England players by the crowd. The matter is now with Uefa."

England manager Stuart Pearce said Serbia's technical director Savo Milosevic had visited the England dressing room to apologise.

"I never like to see any football matches end like that," Pearce told ESPN.

"I think there were one or two racist incidents that came on from the crowd. It's in (Uefa's) hands now.

"It's very sad, to be fair, but we're united as a team. I'm very proud of the reaction of our players."

Marvin Sordell (R) of England shows his anger Serbia's goalkeeping coach is seen raising his fist

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Passenger Jets Help To Rescue Missing Sailor

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Passengers and crew on two commercial jets have helped locate a missing yachtsman off Australia by looking through the windows with binoculars.

An Air Canada plane and an Air New Zealand aircraft swooped down to 4,000ft to assist rescuers in the search for the solo yachtsman who had activated his emergency beacon.

His remote location was out of helicopter range, so rescuers asked the planes' pilots to get involved as they were flying over the yacht's GPS position.

The crew on each plane asked passengers to tell them if they had binoculars in their hand luggage so they could be used to help in the search.

The Air Canada pilot Captain Andrew Robertson said once he determined he had enough fuel to land the plane safely in Sydney after diverting to search for the yacht, he swooped down to 5,000ft and reduced speed while the crew peered out.

"As we got to about two to three miles of this yacht, the first officer said 'there it is, I see it'. I was amazed.

"We didn't know if we were looking for a sunken boat or one that was still floating."

Captain Robertson circled around once more at 3,700ft for a closer look to see if anyone was on board.

It was then they saw the yachtsman.

Captain Robertson said the search was the first of his aviation career.

"A lot of passengers said it was very exciting to be involved in a search like this," he said.

According to Sydney's Daily Telegraph, one passenger wrote on Facebook: "15 hour flight ends up being 17 hours as we descended to 4,000ft to locate a capsized yacht for search and rescue.

"Amazing, and slightly off putting, to see what a Boeing 777 aircraft can do when not on autopilot and flying/circling low over the ocean."

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the crew and a number of passengers on board flight AC033 to Sydney from Vancouver spotted the boat and advised authorities of its location.

He said the yachtsman was subsequently rescued. He said the airline commends the crew and passengers.

"The pilots immediately determined they had sufficient fuel to undertake this, and headed out to the remote area which was over fairly rough seas," he explained.

"After apprising the customers on board that we would assist as we were the only aircraft in the immediate vicinity, all on board became involved in the search efforts," Mr Fitzpatrick said.

"The crew borrowed binoculars from customers and also engaged those sitting on the right hand side of the aircraft to help look.

"As our aircraft flew over the area at 4,000ft, a reflection from a mirror shining upwards was spotted and the crew saw the yacht in question, de-masted with a person standing - which was confirmed by a number of passengers."

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said the 44-year-old sailor had now been picked up 270 nautical miles out to sea.

He is said to be in good spirits and uninjured after drifting for 16 hours.

Speaking about the involvement of the passenger jets, a spokesperson from the Amsa said: "It's not a regular occurrence, but that's because incidents are (usually) much closer to shore.

"Amsa thanks the captains and crews of the Air Canada and Air New Zealand aircraft for their assistance in the search and rescue operation, and their passengers for their patience."

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Ministers 'Beyond Despair' As Mitchell Stays

Sky sources say senior ministers are "beyond despair" that Andrew Mitchell is still in his job after his row with a policeman.

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House Fire: Motive Sought Over Family Deaths

Police say a doctor who lost his wife and four children in a suspected arson attack on their home in Essex "fought hard" to save them.

Four of the victims - Sabah Usmani, who was also a doctor, and her sons Sohaib, 13, and Rayyan, six, and 11-year-old daughter Hira - died in the blaze in Barn Mead, Harlow, in the early hours of Monday.

A third son, nine-year-old Muneeb, was rescued with his three-year-old sister Maheen. Both were taken to the town's Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition, but Muneeb died later.

Maheen remains critical and has been transferred to a specialist burns unit at the Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford.

The children's father, Dr Abdul Shakoor, works at the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he is being treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. His condition is described as stable.

Dr Shakoor apparently escaped the fire by jumping from a first-floor window and is said by police to have "fought hard to save his family in appalling conditions". He is not being treated as a suspect.

Dr Shakour and his wife Sabah Usmani

Police are working to establish a possible motive for the attack. There had been no previous problems with racism in the area, although there have been other arson attacks on cars nearby, officers said.

One possible line of enquiry is that the family were not the intended target of the attackers.

Witness reports suggest between one and four people were in the area at the time. Such sightings will form a key part of the investigation, police said.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Beautridge said: "In the history of Essex Police, seldom has there been an incident of this gravity, in which five people, four of them children, have lost their lives.

"I would like to stress that the father of these children was in the property at the time and fought hard to save his family in appalling conditions."

Mr Beautridge said Dr Shakoor was "in severe shock". He added: "Our work with (him) to establish some of the facts of this case will, inevitably, take time because of the emotional trauma he has suffered."

A torched car was found close to the burning house

One neighbour told Sky News the doctor was in his dressing gown, screaming "get my family out" and had to be physically restrained from going inside the house.

Emergency services were called to Barn Mead at 1.48am. They found a burning car and an end-of-terrace house "engulfed" with flames coming out of the front and back doors.

Firefighters wearing breathing equipment battled "punishing" conditions inside before pulling out six people, Chief Fire Officer David Johnson, from Essex Fire and Rescue, told Sky News.

It is believed the fire started downstairs.

Mr Johnson said: "The first crews that arrived were actually confronted initially by a car that was alight so thought they were dealing with a car fire, but almost immediately became aware that there was a very developed house fire almost adjacent to where the car fire was.

"It was a very, very, hot, intense fire."

Because of its ferocity detectives are investigating whether it was started with some kind of fuel. The house has been sealed off for forensic examination.

Police have cordoned off the scene

Although the blazing Ford car found nearby was not connected with the family, it is also being treated as arson. Mr Johnson said it was highly likely the two fires were related.

Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, Dr Shakoor and his wife lived in Saudi Arabia, where their children were born, before moving to Manchester and then Harlow.

Mrs Usmani was also a doctor, although she stayed at home and cared for the children.

Parvez Hamid, 43, and Safia Anwar, 38, have known the couple since they moved to Harlow in 2011.

Their children attended the nearby Abbotsweld Primary School with some of the Shakoor children.

Mrs Anwar said: "They were a wonderful family. The children were best friends with our own.

"We would see them at (the) mosque and at the school gates. They were just such a lovely family.

Officers are asking for anyone with information to contact them

"I last saw Sabah on Friday. She seemed normal with no worries at all.

"I heard what happened from a friend who lived nearby. It has come as such a shock to us all and it is still sinking in. We are absolutely devastated."

Mr Hamid said: "Their children were so well behaved and I was always envious that mine weren't the same.

"They were hardworking parents who will be missed. The Asian community is very tight-knit in this area and we are all in shock."

Workers at the Princess Alexandra Hospital have told Sky News Dr Shakoor was a highly respected member of staff.

Chief Executive Melanie Walker said: "The hospital is deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances which have occurred."

Detective Superintendent Rob Vinson, who is leading the inquiry, said it was likely the fire was started deliberately and asked anyone with information to contact police.

He said the local community and Islamic groups could hold the answer, adding: "I fully appreciate the community will be devastated. Nobody expects such a catastrophic incident in their own neighbourhood."

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Jimmy Savile: Labour Demands New Abuse Inquiry

Labour has called for the Government to set up an independent inquiry into the Jimmy Savile sex abuse allegations to "do right by the victims".

On Monday, Culture Secretary Maria Miller dismissed demands for an independent inquiry, saying she was "confident" BBC chiefs were taking the claims "very seriously".

But Labour leader Ed Miliband said the BBC's internal investigations were not enough.

Speaking to ITV1's The Agenda, he said: "These are horrific allegations. In order to do right by the victims I don't think the BBC can lead their own inquiry.

"We need a broad look at all the public institutions involved - the BBC, parts of the NHS and Broadmoor. This has got to be independent."

The abuse allegations span six decades

Labour wants an independent inquiry to have the power to demand documentation and summon witnesses. It should look into Savile's activities at the BBC, Stoke Mandeville hospital and Broadmoor, the party said.

"I think we now have enough set of allegations and further allegations to know this is not some isolated set of incidents," Mr Miliband said.

"This seems to be a pattern of activity which spanned a number of institutions. As I say, I just think about the victims in this. This is absolutely horrific and will scar people for life.

"And I think for them, the BBC - good institution though it is - I don't think they can lead their own inquiry."

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman told Sky News on Tuesday that Savile's alleged victims would not be satisfied with the BBC investigating itself and insisted wider action was required.

New BBC boss George Entwistle

"There was obviously a culture of silence which fermented a situation where more and more victims were able to be abused by Jimmy Savile," she said.

"Instead of just looking at the BBC, we need to look at those other organisations as well. Instead of a number of different inquiries, we need one inquiry to look at all these horrific allegations."

She added: "Until we have really got to the truth, then we can't ever be complacent that these sorts of things won't happen again."

Before Labour's demand, Ms Miller had rejected calls for an outside inquiry to restore the public's faith, warning it could hamper police investigations.

"In terms of a wider inquiry, we have a police investigation on-going at the moment," she said.

"Everybody would agree that it is really important that those individuals who have been victims know that that investigation can go on unfettered and that that should be our priority at this stage."

She cited the three separate internal investigations already launched by the BBC into the affair.

Commons culture committee chairman John Whittingdale said BBC director-general George Entwistle had offered to appear before the committee next week and said he was "sure" MPs would take him up on the offer.

Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton said his constituents, who turned out in their thousands to pay tribute to the broadcaster when he died, felt "betrayed and angry".

Police believe the DJ and television presenter's alleged catalogue of child sex abuse could have spanned six decades and included around 60 victims.

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Karadzic Denies Atrocities At War Crimes Trial

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has told a UN war crimes court he should have been rewarded for trying to stop the conflict in Yugoslavia rather than put on trial.

On the first day of his defence in The Hague, Karadzic said: "Instead of being accused for the events in our civil war I should have been rewarded for all the good things I have done.

"Namely, that I did everything in my human power to avoid the war, that I succeeded in reducing the suffering of all civilians, that the number of victims in our war was three to four times less than the numbers reported in public.

"I proclaimed numerous unilateral ceasefires and military containments and I stopped our army many times when they were close to victory."

Brought to court after his arrest on a Belgrade bus in 2008, the 67-year-old, is charged with masterminding the murder of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys by forces loyal to him in the eastern Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995.

The massacre, when Bosnian Serb troops under the command of wartime general Ratko Mladic overran Dutch UN peacekeepers, was the worst atrocity committed on European soil since World War Two.

Over the space of a few days, thousands were systematically executed and dumped into mass graves in the area.

The remains of people thought to have been killed during the Bosnian war

Prosecutors say Karadzic, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and Mladic acted together to "cleanse" Bosnian Muslims and Croats from Bosnia's Serb-claimed territories after the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991.

Milosevic died midway through his own trial for genocide and war crimes in March 2006.

But Karadzic told the court that he never considered the possibility that there could be mass atrocities aimed at either displacing or wiping out the Bosnian Muslim and Croat populations.

"Neither I nor anyone I know could ever think there could be a genocide againt any people we consider to be the same as us - Serbs, although of a different confession," he said. 

Karadzic is also charged over his alleged role in the siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo between May 1992 and November 1995 in which 10,000 people died under terrifying sniper and artillery fire.

Like Mladic, he has also been charged for his alleged role in taking hostage UN observers and peacekeepers to use them as human shields during a Nato bombing campaign against Bosnian Serb targets in May and June 1995.

Karadzic, who represented the Bosnian Serbs at talks aimed at ending the civil war, told the court "many incidents happened while I was abroad attending negotiations or meetings".

After being indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1995, he spent 13 years on the run before being arrested in 2008 in Belgrade where he practised as a doctor of alternative medicine.

Karadzic was indicted in 1995 but was not arrested for 13 years

In his opening statement, he described himself as a "physician, a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, group analyst and a literary man" as he began to read his statement to the court.

His trial began in October 2009 and prosecutors put their case against him between April 2010 and May this year.

Judges dropped one genocide count in June, saying there was not enough evidence to substantiate the charge for killings by Bosnian Serb forces in Bosnian towns from March to December 1992.

Genocide, the gravest crime in international humanitarian law, is the hardest to prove.

Karadzic has planned a four-hour statement to open his defence, followed by the testimony of Russian colonel Andrei Demurenko, the UN chief of staff in Sarajevo from January to December 1995.

Wives and relatives of victims were looking on from the public gallery as he addressed the court.

Karadzic, who has been allocated 300 hours for his defence, has said he will call 300 witnesses to testify on his behalf.

The names include Greek President Carolos Papoulias, who was Athens' foreign minister during the Bosnian war.

Karadzic has said Mr Papoulias' testimony could prove his innocence for the infamous shelling of Sarajevo's Markale market on February 5, 1994, in which 67 people died.

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