Ed Balls has been accused of withholding a report into the death of Baby P that would shed light on the tragedy and may help to prevent a repeat.

The Children's Secretary is refusing to publish the Serious Case Review (SCR) findings because social workers might be discouraged from speaking frankly to future inquiries.

However, in an unusual cross-party move, Michael Gove, the Tory Shadow Schools Secretary, David Laws, his Liberal Democrat counterpart, and Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, where the tragedy happened, have pressed him to change his mind. All three have seen the report and believe it contains vital details on how social workers from Haringey Council failed to save Baby P.

Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has backed the disclosure so long as personal details are removed, although Mr Balls is refusing to let him see the report because confidentiality is “imperative”.

Mr Balls was embarrassed by Mr Thomas last week when the minister blocked the three MPs from reading the document in private by quoting the watchdog's ruling in 2006 banning full publication of another case review.

Mr Thomas's office immediately issued a statement suggesting that the Children's Secretary was twisting the 2006 decision for his own ends, and that it did not mean the report should be withheld from the MPs.

The MPs said: “We believe that it is clearly in the public interest that this should be published.”

Mr Balls said: “This is not, and has never been, about keeping secret information which should rightly be in the public domain. I have been very clear in my commitment to public accountability in the Haringey case.”

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