Theresa May Tells Abuse Victims: I'm Sorry

Sky News
November 4, 2014

http://news.sky.com/story/1366045/theresa-may-tells-abuse-victims-im-sorry

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Theresa May has apologised to victims of historical child sex abuse after losing a second chair of an official inquiry.

The Home Secretary faced MPs to explain how she would proceed after Fiona Woolf resigned on Friday because of her links to Lord Brittan, who is accused of failing to act on abuse allegations while home secretary in the 1980s.

Mrs Woolf's predecessor, Baroness Butler-Sloss, stood down in similar circumstances in July.

Mrs May said she would meet victims next week before deciding on a new chair - and would establish a liaison group.

She told MPs: "Almost four months after I announced my intention to establish a panel inquiry it is obviously very disappointing that we do not yet have a panel chairman and for that I want to tell survivors that I am sorry.

"I know some of you have questioned the legitimacy of this process. I am listening and to you I say this: I am as determined as you are to get to the truth.

"We have a once in a generation opportunity to do something that is hugely important.

"Together we can expose what has gone wrong in the past, we can prevent it from going wrong in the future.

"We can make sure people who thought they were beyond the reach of the law face justice."

The Home Secretary said the inquiry panel would continue to meet without a replacement chairman - starting next Wednesday.

She admitted that it would not be "straightforward" to find a chair who has both the expertise and no links to past events.

But Mrs May added it was still possible to appoint someone who "can win the confidence of survivors".

Significantly, the minister also revealed that a separate report by NSPCC chief Peter Wanless would be made public next week.

Mr Wanless has examined how the Home Office in the 1980s dealt with - and potentially failed to act on - a dossier about alleged abuse.

His report and the official inquiry are looking into potential abuse and cover-ups by politicians and other senior figures between the 1970s and 1990s.

Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May rejected calls to make the probe a statutory inquiry with more formal powers.

Lawyer Alison Millar, head of the abuse team representing some of the victims, said she was disappointed by the decision.

She said: "We agree that this inquiry represents a once in a lifetime opportunity and welcome her more consultative approach on the future of the inquiry.

"However, we are disappointed that the Home Secretary will not give the inquiry the statutory powers it needs to compel the production of documents and the attendance of witnesses, as well as to ensure that anyone who gives false evidence will face criminal sanctions."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed Mrs May's recognition that things had "gone wrong".

"She is right, this is a once in a generation opportunity, but it is too important not just for survivors but also for our children today to make sure this historic opportunity is not lost," said Ms Cooper.