Child abuse inquiry: survivors urge Theresa May to scrap panel
22 December
A group of child abuse survivors have welcomed reports that Home Secretary Theresa May wants to replace the government's child abuse inquiry panel with a more powerful body.
More than 60 victims and representatives wrote to May calling for a new panel with the legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath.Six months after the inquiry was announced, the panel still has no chairman. May's first two choices, Fiona Woolf and Baroness Butler-Sloss, stood down because of their links to 1980s establishment figures.In their letter to May, seen by Sky News, survivors said it was "essential that those conducting the inquiry have appropriate experience, are free from strong links to prominent establishment figures or any other potential conflict of interest and have a proven track record of promoting survivors' rights".They called for a "dedicated police team to take evidence alongside the inquiry and investigate and prosecute offenders" and said they would welcome the inquiry being given "statutory powers", as well as the "replacement of the current panel".Their request comes after the Home Secretary wrote to the current panel members, warning that she was considering three options to give the inquiry more powers. Two out of three of the options required the panel to be disbanded.Labour has criticised May for her "utter failure" to get the inquiry "off the ground", says the BBC.Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph says police are investigating claims that up to five paedophile rings operated at "the heart of Westminster", each involving at least one MP.John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw, has been gathering evidence from members of the public and has handed a dossier to Scotland Yard that reportedly implicates 22 politicians, including three serving MPs and three members of the House of Lords.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He also raised concerns that there are too many different police investigations into the historic abuses and called for an overarching police inquiry.
-
Cop30: is the UN climate summit over before it begins?Today’s Big Question Trump administration will not send any high-level representatives, while most nations failed to submit updated plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions
-
‘The Big Crunch’: why science is divided over the future of the universeThe Explainer New study upends the prevailing theory about dark matter and says it is weakening
-
Quiz of The Week: 1 – 7 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Dash: the UK's 'flawed' domestic violence toolThe Explainer Risk-assessment checklist relied on by police and social services deemed unfit for frontline use
-
The ethics behind facial recognition vans and policingThe Explainer The government is rolling out more live facial recognition technology across England
-
What to do if your phone is stolenThe Explainer An average of 180 phones is stolen every day in London, the 'phone-snatching capital of Europe'
-
How should we define extremism and terrorism?Today's Big Question The government has faced calls to expand the definition of terrorism in the wake of Southport murders
-
Matthew Trickett: man charged with spying for Hong Kong found deadSpeed Read Immigration Enforcement officer was accused of gathering information on dissidents in the UK
-
What is going on in women’s prisons?feature Inmate numbers and self-harm cases are rising despite government pledge to improve conditions
-
Daniel Morgan murder: Met apologises for ‘corruption’ in unsolved caseUnder the Radar Force admits liability and agrees ‘unprecedented’ £2m settlement with victim’s family
-
Is the chicken shop anti-knife crime campaign racist?In Depth MPs say Home Office scheme is offensive and stereotypes black people
