Links: The Conservative Party’s connection with paedophiles goes back a long way – here’s a photo of former prime minister (and later baroness) Margaret Thatcher with Jimmy Savile.

We are not applying enough rigour to our examinations of the behaviour – or misbehaviour – of our politicians, especially when it comes to members of the Conservative Party who are paedophiles.

Many of these people rise to be mayors or deputy mayors of the councils in which they – for want of a better word – serve before their abominable crimes are discovered.

Here‘s the case of David Boswell, former Conservative mayor of Pembroke, who in June last year was convicted of raping a young girl, along with three other indecent assaults against her and another girl.

And here‘s Simon Thornton, formerly Conservative mayor of Godalming, who was involved in a three-year-long sexual relationship with a girl aged less than 16 and admitted a total of 20 child sex offences.

Or how about David Jackson, who became deputy mayor of Horley after being arrested for child sex offences? In November last year he was found guilty of indecently assaulting and sexually touching two young girls.

These cases were brought to my attention by Tim Ireland on Twitter – for one simple reason: Nobody in the Conservative Party leadership will say whether these perverts have been expelled from their party.

You’d think it was a straightforward matter – and therefore an easy question to answer.

But it seems neither Tory chairman Brandon Lewis, deputy James Cleverly or newly-appointed (and appropriately-titled) vice chairman Nigel Huddleston are willing to discuss it.

Mr Ireland has made his opinions clear in a series of Twitter, threads, some of which are worth quoting here:

Now other people are taking up this cause – and rightly so:

What do you think? Is it time the Conservatives came clean on the toleration of paedophiles within their party?

And while we’re discussing Tory behaviour on paedophilia, let’s remember that Theresa May “lost” 114 files referring to alleged cases of paedophilia when she was Home Secretary.

That is a level of incompetence that should have resulted in her dismissal from government.

Instead, she became prime minister.