Rape victim says Alun Cairns doesn't care about victims of sexual violence

A rape victim who worked for Alun Cairns has joined calls for him to quit as a general election candidate after he was accused of knowing that his former aide sabotaged her attacker’s trial.

Mr Cairns quit as Welsh secretary after being accused of “brazenly lying” about his knowledge of an allegation that a Tory Welsh Assembly candidate had sabotaged a rape trial.

The Cabinet minister has claimed he was unaware of Ross England’s role in the collapsed trial until after the story broke last week and said he is “confident” he will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Mr Cairns is now facing calls to drop out of the election completely - including by the rape victim in the case.

She told The Times that the minister had didn’t care about rape victims and should not fight the election.

“I really don’t see how he could possibly ask people to vote for him,” she told the newspaper.

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“If you are a woman, how could you say that you would want him to be an MP? If you are attacked or raped he is not going to care because for him that is not a priority at all, so long as target seats in Wales are won.”

Rival parties have also called for Mr Cairns to step down as candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan in the December 12 election, including Shadow Secretary of State Christina Rees.

Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts said: “I hope that Alun Cairns’ resignation as secretary of state proves to be some solace to the woman at the centre of this case, who still has received no apology from the Conservative Party.

“Mr Cairns’ conduct proved unquestionably that he is not fit to hold ministerial office.

“You simply cannot be complicit in the attempted cover-up of sabotaging a rape trial and hope to get away with it.

“Such conduct is neither befitting of a government minister, nor of a member of parliament.”