UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail
By REBECCA CAMBER and JACK DOYLE FOR THE DAILY MAIL
The Home Secretary last night admitted she had been aware of racism allegations against the ex-chairman of the child abuse inquiry.
Amber Rudd said she was alerted about allegations over Dame Lowell Goddard’s ‘professionalism and competence’ several weeks before she told MPs the judge had quit because she was ‘lonely’.
Miss Rudd was accused of being ‘economical about what she knew’ after the admission, which follows claims of a Home Office cover-up.
She told MPs last month that New Zealander Dame Lowell had left the inquiry because she felt lonely and ‘a long way from home’.
The beleaguered public inquiry threatened to turn into a political scandal last night as:
* Victims called for chairman Alexis Jay to resign as she signalled the probe’s remit will be cut back, so it does not last beyond 2020;
* Dame Lowell Goddard strenuously denied claims she ‘turned to drink’ at the inquiry;
* Its top lawyer, Ben Emmerson QC, was accused of ‘bullying’ behind the scenes.
Hauled before the Commons yesterday, Miss Rudd said it would have been ‘entirely inappropriate’ to tell the home affairs committee about the racism allegations against Dame Lowell.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.