UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail
By PRESS ASSOCIATION
The resignation of Baroness Butler-Sloss as the chair of an inquiry into allegations of historic child sex abuse within the establishment comes after days of pressure on the Home Office over her appointment.
These were the main events:
Monday, July 7:
Home Secretary Theresa May announces that she will establish an independent inquiry under an expert panel to examine the handling of allegations of paedophilia by state institutions as well as bodies such as the BBC, churches and political parties.
It will be chaired by “an appropriately senior and experienced figure”, she tells the House of Commons.
Tuesday, July 8:
Baroness Butler-Sloss is named as the chair.
Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokesman tells reporters: “It is the very wide respect that her professional expertise as well as her personal integrity commands that makes her a very strong appointment for this role. It is the width and breadth of her experience that counts.”
Eyebrows are immediately raised by the choice however.
Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz questions the choice of a member of the House of Lords “no matter how distinguished” to investigate the establishment – pointing out that her brother was Lord Chancellor during the era being probed.
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