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| Abuse inquiry: Fiona Woolf steps down as chairwoman | Abuse inquiry: Fiona Woolf steps down as chairwoman |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Fiona Woolf is to step down as the head of an inquiry into historic child sex abuse, she has told the BBC. | Fiona Woolf is to step down as the head of an inquiry into historic child sex abuse, she has told the BBC. |
| She said it had been clear for some time that victims did not have confidence in her, adding that it was time to "get out of the way". | She said it had been clear for some time that victims did not have confidence in her, adding that it was time to "get out of the way". |
| Victims' groups earlier told government officials they were "unanimous" she should quit, citing her social links with ex-Home Secretary Lord Brittan. | |
| Home Secretary Theresa May said she had accepted her decision "with regret". | |
| "I believe she would have carried out her duties with integrity, impartiality and to the highest standard," she said in a statement. | |
| Mrs May said she would make a statement to Parliament about the inquiry on Monday. | |
| Prime Minister David Cameron had given Mrs Woolf his public backing, with a No 10 spokesman saying the PM was "absolutely clear" that she could do the job. | |
| Her resignation comes after the first person appointed to lead the inquiry - Baroness Butler-Sloss - stepped down in July after concerns were raised about the fact that her late brother was attorney general during the 1980s. | |
| 'Brewing for some time' | 'Brewing for some time' |
| Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's John Pienaar, Mrs Woolf said she had told Home Secretary Theresa May she was already considering resigning this morning. | |
| She said she regretted "unsettling" victims, saying: "I've clearly destroyed their confidence in the inquiry with me leading it. These are the last people I had wanted to upset." | |
| "I was determined that the inquiry got to the bottom of the issues and if I don't command their confidence to run the panel fairly and impartially then I need to get out of the way." | |
| It had been "clear for some time victims didn't have confidence" in her, Mrs Woolf added. | |
| "Ever since the issue first arose I have been worrying about the negative perceptions and there has been a lot of negative comment and innuendo and that has got in the way as well," she said. | "Ever since the issue first arose I have been worrying about the negative perceptions and there has been a lot of negative comment and innuendo and that has got in the way as well," she said. |
| Analysis | |
| Dominic Casciani, BBC home affairs correspondent | |
| Right from the get-go, an inquiry chair is under massive scrutiny. | |
| They would be naive in the extreme not to realise that they run the risk of being accused of failing to get to the bottom of things or, worse, penning an official whitewash. | |
| And that's why Fiona Woolf has quit: she realised that without the confidence of victims and survivors of abuse, the inquiry she had hoped to lead would not command the support of the very people she wanted to help. | |
| Read more from Dominic here | |
| Earlier this month Mrs Woolf, who is Lord Mayor of London, disclosed that she lived in the same street as Lord Brittan and had dinner with him five times between 2008 and 2012 - but said he was not a "close associate". | Earlier this month Mrs Woolf, who is Lord Mayor of London, disclosed that she lived in the same street as Lord Brittan and had dinner with him five times between 2008 and 2012 - but said he was not a "close associate". |
| Lord Brittan may be called to give evidence to the inquiry, which will look at whether public bodies and other institutions did enough to protect children from sexual abuse from 1970 to the present day. | Lord Brittan may be called to give evidence to the inquiry, which will look at whether public bodies and other institutions did enough to protect children from sexual abuse from 1970 to the present day. |
| He denies any wrongdoing in the way the "dossier" on alleged high-profile paedophiles was handled in the 1980s. | He denies any wrongdoing in the way the "dossier" on alleged high-profile paedophiles was handled in the 1980s. |
| 'Inclusive leadership' | |
| It also comes after it emerged that a letter from Mrs Woolf about her links with Lord Brittan was re-written seven times. | It also comes after it emerged that a letter from Mrs Woolf about her links with Lord Brittan was re-written seven times. |
| Asked about whether redrafting the letter with the help of the Home Office undermined how impartial she appeared, she said: "It does look like that." | Asked about whether redrafting the letter with the help of the Home Office undermined how impartial she appeared, she said: "It does look like that." |
| And questioned about who should now lead the inquiry, she said: "It needs leadership - inclusive leadership - which I can't command. | And questioned about who should now lead the inquiry, she said: "It needs leadership - inclusive leadership - which I can't command. |
| "The victims don't have confidence in me. You need someone with confidence from everyone." | "The victims don't have confidence in me. You need someone with confidence from everyone." |
| Keith Vaz MP, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said that given the concerns of victims Mrs Woolf's decision to stand down was "the right thing to do". | |
| "This has been chaotic, look at the way in which this matter has been dealt with, it has been so badly put together," he told the BBC. | |
| Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), said the meeting between victims' groups and Home Office officials, which took place in London earlier today, should have been held "months ago". | |
| "The government has got to get a grip and they have to talk to us about the way forward," Mr Saunders added. | |
| Alison Millar, head of the abuse team at law firm Leigh Day, told the BBC there had been a "series of failures" by the Home Office over the inquiry. | |
| Abuse inquiry: How we got here | Abuse inquiry: How we got here |
| 1 July - MP Simon Danczuk calls on former Home Secretary Leon Brittan to say what he knew about paedophile allegations passed to him in the 1980s | 1 July - MP Simon Danczuk calls on former Home Secretary Leon Brittan to say what he knew about paedophile allegations passed to him in the 1980s |
| 7 July - Government announces independent inquiry into the way public bodies investigated and handled child sex abuse claims. Baroness Butler-Sloss chosen as head | 7 July - Government announces independent inquiry into the way public bodies investigated and handled child sex abuse claims. Baroness Butler-Sloss chosen as head |
| 9 July - Baroness Butler-Sloss (pictured) faces calls to quit because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s | 9 July - Baroness Butler-Sloss (pictured) faces calls to quit because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s |
| 14 July - She stands down, saying she is "not the right person" for the job | 14 July - She stands down, saying she is "not the right person" for the job |
| 5 September - Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf named the new head of the inquiry | 5 September - Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf named the new head of the inquiry |
| 11 October - Mrs Woolf discloses she had five dinners with Lord Brittan from 2008-12 | 11 October - Mrs Woolf discloses she had five dinners with Lord Brittan from 2008-12 |
| 22 October - Abuse victim launches legal challenge against Mrs Woolf leading the inquiry, amid growing calls for her resignation | 22 October - Abuse victim launches legal challenge against Mrs Woolf leading the inquiry, amid growing calls for her resignation |