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| Questions raised over Butler-Sloss inquiry position | Questions raised over Butler-Sloss inquiry position |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The retired judge appointed to chair a child abuse review is facing growing calls to "step down" over her family connection with a previous probe. | The retired judge appointed to chair a child abuse review is facing growing calls to "step down" over her family connection with a previous probe. |
| Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was chosen by the home secretary to head the inquiry into allegations of historical abuse. | Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was chosen by the home secretary to head the inquiry into allegations of historical abuse. |
| But Labour's Simon Danczuk said her position was tainted because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was Attorney General in the 1980s. | But Labour's Simon Danczuk said her position was tainted because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was Attorney General in the 1980s. |
| The Home Office said Lady Butler-Sloss had "impeccable credentials". | The Home Office said Lady Butler-Sloss had "impeccable credentials". |
| Baroness Butler-Sloss was announced on Tuesday as head of a wide-ranging probe into how allegations of abuse by politicians and other powerful figures in public institutions such as the NHS, the church and the BBC in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s was handled. | |
| But MPs and victims claim she is too close to the establishment, particularly as Sir Michael was Attorney General at the time of the alleged paedophile scandal. | But MPs and victims claim she is too close to the establishment, particularly as Sir Michael was Attorney General at the time of the alleged paedophile scandal. |
| Sir Michael, whose son is the actor Nigel Havers, faced criticism after he sought to stop Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens from naming in Parliament a top diplomat - Sir Peter Hayman - as a paedophile in the early 1980s. | |
| Mr Danczuk, who has investigated child sex abuse allegations against former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, said the revelations of a family connection with Sir Michael meant Lady Butler-Sloss' position was compromised. | Mr Danczuk, who has investigated child sex abuse allegations against former Liberal MP Cyril Smith, said the revelations of a family connection with Sir Michael meant Lady Butler-Sloss' position was compromised. |
| "I think the government should think again in terms of who they have appointed for this position," he said. | "I think the government should think again in terms of who they have appointed for this position," he said. |
| "I think she should consider her position. I find it quite surprising that neither she nor the government realised her relationship with her brother was connected to Geoffrey Dickens. | "I think she should consider her position. I find it quite surprising that neither she nor the government realised her relationship with her brother was connected to Geoffrey Dickens. |
| "It beggars belief that that wasn't considered in the first place." | "It beggars belief that that wasn't considered in the first place." |
| Key questions answered | |
| Why has this come up now? | |
| Labour MP Simon Danczuk last week called on Leon Brittan to say what the then home secretary did with documents he was passed in the 1980s containing allegations about powerful figures and paedophilia. | |
| What happened to the files? | |
| Lord Brittan passed them to Home Office officials. A 2013 review found 114 documents were unaccounted for. The review found the minister had acted appropriately. | |
| What did the papers allege? | |
| The allegations, compiled by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens, were set to "blow the lids off" the lives of powerful child abusers, the MP's son has said. The late Mr Dickens said he planned to expose eight such figures. | |
| Read more: 1980s child abuse claims explained | |
| Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston has also cast doubt on whether Lady Butler-Sloss can continue. She wrote on Twitter: "Not doubting her integrity but hard to see why Baroness Butler Sloss would want to accept a role so many regard as conflicted at the outset." | |
| The lawyer who represents alleged victims of child abuse has also urged the peer to step down. | The lawyer who represents alleged victims of child abuse has also urged the peer to step down. |
| Alison Millar, head of the abuse law team at Leigh Day Solicitors, told the BBC: "There needs to be not a shred of doubt that this inquiry is not an establishment cover up - and the concern really is that she is just too close to the establishment, particularly with this connection to Sir Michael Havers." | Alison Millar, head of the abuse law team at Leigh Day Solicitors, told the BBC: "There needs to be not a shred of doubt that this inquiry is not an establishment cover up - and the concern really is that she is just too close to the establishment, particularly with this connection to Sir Michael Havers." |
| While Ms Millar described Lady Butler-Sloss as a person of enormous integrity, she said she doubted her clients would think she was the right person for the job. | While Ms Millar described Lady Butler-Sloss as a person of enormous integrity, she said she doubted her clients would think she was the right person for the job. |
| Ms Millar represents some of the alleged victims of the Elm Guest House in London - the location where a number of sex abuse cases were alleged to have taken place. | Ms Millar represents some of the alleged victims of the Elm Guest House in London - the location where a number of sex abuse cases were alleged to have taken place. |
| Lady Butler-Sloss was coroner for the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Al Fayed until she stepped down in 2007. | |
| She is also a former president of the Family Division of the High Court and was chair of the Cleveland Child Abuse Inquiry, | |
| But despite her experience, BBC Political Correspondent Norman Smith said MPs had also raised question marks over her age - she will be 81 in August - and the fact she sits in the House of Lords. | |
| A Home Office source, however, defended the appointment of Lady Butler-Sloss despite her family link to the controversy. | |
| The source said: "She is a person of impeccable credentials and experience. Her record stands for itself regardless of her brother." | The source said: "She is a person of impeccable credentials and experience. Her record stands for itself regardless of her brother." |