May Admits She Knew about Child Abuse Inquiry Concerns

Sky News
October 19, 2016

http://news.sky.com/story/may-admits-she-knew-about-child-abuse-inquiry-concerns-10623538

The Prime Minister has admitted she knew about concerns over the leadership of the child abuse inquiry but did nothing.

Theresa May admitted there were "stories" around about Dame Lowell Goddard's leadership of the inquiry but claimed that, as Home Secretary, she was not able to intervene on the basis of "suspicion" or "hearsay".

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mrs May said complaints about Dame Lowell's behaviour had been made to the Home Office in confidence months before she became the third chair to vacate the post in August.

However, she said the concerns had been raised in confidence and therefore she was unable to act.

Dame Lowell did not give a reason for her departure.

Dame Lowell Goddard's resignation was announced in August

Last month, new Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the New Zealander had decided to quit because she was homesick but a newspaper report subsequently disclosed allegations of racism and difficult behaviour.

However, responding to written questions submitted via her lawyers, Dame Lowell has denied in the strongest possible terms ever having used such language, and said she had never held the views or opinions attributed to her in the allegations, which she categorically rejects.

Her lawyer told Sky News: "She has never used such language and nor has she held the views and opinions attributed to her in these allegations.

"The language in those allegations is vocabulary which she neither would have used nor would consider using. She rejects these allegations entirely."

On Monday, Ms Rudd said the Home Office had been made aware of concerns over the leadership of Dame Lowell on 29 July, when Mrs May was still Home Secretary and six days before she became Prime Minister.

But during a Home Affairs Select Committee meeting on Tuesday, a member of the child inquiry panel, Drusilla Sharpling, revealed she had raised concerns with the Home Office in April.

However, she did say that the disclosure had been made in confidence and the panel had wanted to deal with the problems themselves.

Questioned in the House of Commons by the Labour MP Lisa Nandy on what she knew and when, Mrs May said: "There were stories around about the inquiry and about individuals related to the inquiry but the Home Secretary cannot intervene on the basis of suspicion, rumour and hearsay."

She said the report to the Home Office official in April had been in confidence and was "treated as such".

The Prime Minister added: "It is important to note that when the Home Office was officially informed of issues, the Home Office acted."

Claims of racism and misconduct have been denied by Dame Lowell, who says she was not made aware of any issues with her leadership before leaving with an ?80,000 pay-off.

When asked by select committee members whether Dame Lowell had been a "nightmare" to work with, another member of the inquiry panel, Ivor Frank, said there had been "challenges".