Home Secretary Amber Rudd knew that chief of troubled child abuse inquiry quit amid racism allegations – but gave MPs different explanation
The judge quit in August — and the Home Secretary was made aware of the claims against her a week earlier
HOME Secretary Amber Rudd confessed she knew that the chief of the troubled child abuse inquiry quit amid allegations of racism.
Ms Rudd admitted she was informed of the claims against Dame Lowell Goddard — despite later telling MPs the New Zealander resigned because she was “lonely”.
Her explanation was given to a Commons committee last month. The judge quit in August — and the Home Secretary was made aware of the claims against her a week earlier.
The Home Secretary insisted it would have been “inappropriate” for her to refer to allegations that Dame Lowell Goddard made "racist" remarks as they had been “strenuously denied.”
But Labour last night branded her open to “accusations of misleading the committee”.
After being hauled to the Commons to answer an Urgent Question on the matter, Ms Rudd said: “Dame Lowell had not spoken to me about her reasons, so I relied on the letter she had sent to the committee.
“In her letter she said she was lonely and felt that she could not deliver and that was why she stepped down.
“Dame Lowell has strongly refuted the allegations about her.”
But she admitted concerns about Dame Lowell’s conduct had been raised with Mark Sedwill, the Home Office’s Permanent Secretary, on July 29.
She implied that they had had then been relayed to her later that day.
Less than a week later Dame Lowell resigned.
But Labour MP Lisa Nandy slammed Rudd saying it was a “tragedy” that inquiry set up to “shine a spotlight on institutions characterized by a culture of secrecy, denial and cover-up” had itself has “become dogged by complaints about the very problems it was designed to expose”.
The Wigan MP added: “If it is to proceed with confidence the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister need to answer the very many questions over this inquiry starting with the truth surrounding the departure of Dame Lowell Goddard.”
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Ms Rudd told the Commons on Monday: “I’m aware of questions around the reasons for her resignation, and let me spell out the facts.
“On 29th July the secretary to the inquiry met my permanent secretary and reported concerns about the professionalism and competence of the chair.
“My permanent secretary encouraged the inquiry to raise those matters with the chair.
“He reported this meeting to me the same day.
“My permanent secretary also met members of the inquiry panel on the 4th August, later that day Dame Lowell tendered her resignation to me, which I accepted.
“Less than a week elapsed between concerns being raised with the Home Office and Dame Lowell’s resignation.
“My permanent secretary’s approach was entirely appropriate for an independent body.”
She added that she hoped the beleaguered independent inquiry into child sexual abuse will deliver a report by 2020.
The Home Secretary outlined the new timetable amid warnings that the inquiry has been given “mission impossible” to investigate hundreds of thousands of claims and may not report for decades.
She confirmed that last year almost £15 million had already been spent of the inquiry’s £17.9 million budget.