Child Abuse Inquiry Head Quits

Baroness Butler-Sloss has quit as head of the inquiry into historic allegations of child abuse by Establishment figures, saying she was “not the right person for the job”. She had faced criticism for her conduct in previous investigations and for her family links.

Her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, has been accused of covering up an allegation of abuse against a senior public figure while he served as Attorney General in the 1980s.

Lady Butler-Sloss herself has also faced allegations over her conduct in previous child abuse investigations. As reported in Breitbart London, she was accused of keeping claims of child abuse by an Anglican bishop out of a previous report, as she did not want to damage the church. She was also accused of making serious errors in her report into abuse in the Church of England.

Earlier today, she issued a statement saying: “I was honoured to be invited by the home secretary to chair the wide-ranging inquiry about child sexual abuse and hoped I could make a useful contribution.

“It has become apparent over the last few days, however, that there is a widespread perception, particularly among victim and survivor groups, that I am not the right person to chair the inquiry.

“It has also become clear to me that I did not sufficiently consider whether my background and the fact my brother had been attorney general would cause difficulties.

“This is a victim-orientated inquiry and those who wish to be heard must have confidence that the members of the panel will pay proper regard to their concerns and give appropriate advice to government.

“Nor should media attention be allowed to be diverted from the extremely important issues at stake, namely whether enough has been done to protect children from sexual abuse and hold to account those who commit these appalling crimes.

“Having listened to the concerns of victim and survivor groups and the criticisms of MPs and the media, I have come to the conclusion that I should not chair this inquiry and have so informed the Home Secretary.”