Pledge on case of Yorkshire rapist father

Shadow Home Secretary Michael Gove has already committed to publish further details of the attacks by two young brothers in Edlington, Doncaster, which left two boys close to death, and the Tory leader said publishing full details of serious case reviews was necessary to prevent future tragedies.

Mr Cameron said: "I think it is extremely odd, even perverse, that if a mental health patient murders someone we have a full serious case review and the whole thing is published, obviously with anonymised details where necessary, but when children are killed or nearly killed, we do not.

"Obviously to learn answers you have to answer awkward questions and it seems to me that the current system smacks too much of professionals cosying up, reading each other's reports, and then brushing under the carpet what needs to be done."

He said opinion among social workers was moving in the direction of publication.

This week it emerged that two women who were repeatedly raped by their father over a period of three decades were failed by professionals too scared to take action.