UNITED KINGDOM
The Times
Andrew Norfolk, Sean O’Neill, Oliver Wright
October 14 2016
The Times
It would have been “inconceivable” for Theresa May to be unaware of concerns about the behaviour of the chairman of the child sexual abuse inquiry, a former minister claimed as MPs prepared to launch an investigation into the allegations.
The Times revealed today that Home Office staff and advisers received warnings about Dame Lowell Goddard’s allegedly offensive behaviour in her role as chairwoman of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) but did not end her “catastrophic” leadership.
It is claimed that her aggressive and abusive conduct at times reduced the inquiry’s operation to “near paralysis” while she was also heard to make “racist” remarks.
One former minister, who worked closely with Mrs May when she was home secretary, said the way in which she ran her department meant it was “not plausible” that the concerns had not crossed her desk as she demanded to be kept abreast of all developments.
“It is inconceivable that she did not know,” the former minister said. “The level of detail she demanded and the way in which she micromanaged the department would make that impossible.”
Next week the home affairs select committee is due to hear from Alexis Jay, who replaced Dame Lowell as chairwoman. She was an adviser to the committee while Dame Lowell was in charge.
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