Fiona Woolf: Abuse victims call for inquiry head to quit
Abuse inquiry: Fiona Woolf faces fresh pressure to quit
(about 7 hours later)
Victims' groups are expected to tell child abuse inquiry officials Fiona Woolf should step down as its head.
Victims' groups are due to meet officials from a child sex abuse inquiry and are expected to reiterate calls for the inquiry's head to resign.
One victims' representative told the BBC he had "zero confidence" in the inquiry, which he said - in its current form - would be a "whitewash".
Some victims have already said Fiona Woolf should step down because of her social links to ex-Home Secretary Lord Brittan, whose handling of abuse claims in the 1980s has been questioned.
The first person appointed to lead the child abuse inquiry - Baroness Butler-Sloss - stepped down in July.
A victims' representative said he had "zero confidence" in the inquiry.
The Home Office said Mrs Woolf had shown a commitment to openness, and that it remained confident in her.
The government said it still had confidence in Mrs Woolf.
A meeting between victims' groups and inquiry officials will take place on Friday,
The inquiry will look at whether public bodies and other institutions did enough to protect children from sexual abuse, from 1970 to the present day.
The largest group attending the meeting, the NSPCC, has declined to give explicit backing to Mrs Woolf.
The first person appointed to lead it - Baroness Butler-Sloss - stepped down in July after concerns were raised about her family links.
It said the inquiry should be judged on its work rather than who leads it, but that it should get under way.
'Whitewash'
The inquiry, announced in July, will look at whether public bodies and other institutions did enough to protect children from sexual abuse, from 1970 to the present day.
Mrs Woolf is not expected to be at the meeting with victims' representatives, including lawyer Alison Millar, who is to call for her to step down because "our clients just don't have faith in her".
Mrs Woolf, the Lord Mayor of London, has also faced questions about her links with Lord Brittan, who was home secretary in the 1980s.
The NSPCC, which will also attend the meeting, has declined to give explicit backing to Mrs Woolf, a corporate lawyer.
Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz has said correspondence sent by Mrs Woolf raises more questions, after it emerged that a letter from her to Home Secretary Theresa May was re-written seven times.
It said the government inquiry should be judged on its work rather than who leads it, but that it should get under way.
Mr Vaz said the later versions gave "a sense of greater detachment" between Mrs Woolf and Lord Brittan, who was home secretary in 1984 when ministers were handed a dossier on alleged high-profile paedophiles.
Head of ChildLine Sue Minto was asked if she backed Mrs Woolf as head of the inquiry, in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
'Amended' facts
She replied: "I think the most important thing is to ensure that whoever chairs the inquiry also has an excellent team."
Mrs Woolf has already appeared before the Home Affairs Committee once, telling it she lived in the same London street as Lord Brittan.
But Peter Saunders, of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said Mrs Woolf was an "entirely inappropriate" choice.
She told the committee she had invited him and his wife to dinner on three occasions, and had two dinners at their house between 2008 and 2012 - but said he was not a "close associate".
"What in God's name are they doing appointing a corporate lawyer who knows, and has already demonstrated she knows, nothing about this deeply entrenched social evil?" he said.
But she was asked for more details after a photograph emerged on the official website for the Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards, showing her talking with Lady Brittan and the veteran journalist Martyn Lewis, all of whom were judges on the awards panel in October 2013.
He called the inquiry a "whitewash", adding: "Survivors just want the truth. We have zero confidence that this will follow."
Mrs Woolf had said that the last contact she had with Lady Brittan was in April 2013.
'Not close'
In her letter, published on the Commons Home Affairs Committee website, Mrs Woolf said she had mentioned that Lady Brittan was a judge at the Dragon Awards, adding: "The photograph captures one moment of an entire evening and I do not recall any substantial interaction with Lady Brittan, among the scores of other guests."
A victim of historical child sexual abuse has already launched a legal challenge to Mrs Woolf's appointment, claiming she is not impartial, has no relevant expertise and may not have time to discharge her duties.
She also sent the committee seven drafts of her letter to Mrs May, after she was appointed to head the inquiry.
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".
But Mr Vaz said drafts of the letter showed that "words, and sometimes even facts, have been amended".
Lord Brittan may be called to give evidence to the inquiry. He denies any wrongdoing in the way the "dossier" on alleged high-profile paedophiles was handled in the 1980s.
He also said it was extraordinary that Mrs Woolf had not written the first draft of the letter and added: "The final version gave a sense of greater detachment between Lord and Lady Brittan and Mrs Woolf than her previous attempts."
Abuse inquiry: How we got here
He said the committee would consider whether they would ask Mrs Woolf back to answer more questions at their next meeting.
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
'Incredibly important'
7 July - Government announces independent inquiry into the way public bodies investigated and handled child sex abuse claims. Baroness Butler-Sloss chosen as head
A victim of historical child sexual abuse has launched a legal challenge to Mrs Woolf's appointment, claiming she is not impartial, has no relevant expertise and may not have time to discharge her duties.
9 July - Baroness Butler-Sloss (pictured) faces calls to quit because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s
But Downing Street has said it has "full confidence" in Mrs Woolf being able to carry out the inquiry.
14 July - She stands down, saying she is "not the right person" for the job
Mrs May said Mrs Woolf had "a long and distinguished career throughout which she has demonstrated the highest standards of integrity".
5 September - Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf named the new head of the inquiry
A Home Office spokesman said: "Fiona Woolf wrote to the home secretary to disclose anything she thought might cast doubt on her impartiality as chairman of the independent panel inquiry into child sexual abuse.
11 October - Mrs Woolf discloses she had five dinners with Lord Brittan from 2008-12
"Her letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee further demonstrates her commitment to openness and transparency in the course of her duties.
22 October - Abuse victim launches legal challenge against Mrs Woolf leading the inquiry, amid growing calls for her resignation
"We remain confident Fiona Woolf and the panel members can carry out their duties to the highest standards of impartiality and integrity."
31 October - Victims' representatives to meet inquiry officials
Baroness Butler-Sloss stepped down before the inquiry began, saying she "did not sufficiently consider whether my background would cause difficulties".
On Thursday, MP Keith Vaz said letters from Mrs Woolf showed her appointment was "chaotic". He said a letter from Mrs Woolf about her links with Lord Brittan was re-written seven times and the final version gave a "sense of greater detachment".
Her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s.
The Home Office said Mrs Woolf had demonstrated "openness and transparency".
Labour's shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper said Mrs May had "totally failed" to get the inquiry going months after it was announced.
"We remain confident Fiona Woolf and the panel members can carry out their duties to the highest standards of impartiality and integrity," it said.
"This child abuse inquiry is really important but it will completely fail if no one has confidence in it - and particularly if victims do not trust it.
Labour's shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said Home Secretary Theresa May had "totally failed" to get the inquiry going.
"It won't work if there is a perception that information has been covered up. Nor will it work if there are continual unanswered questions.
"Theresa May urgently needs to show her appointed chair and expert panel have the independence, impartiality and credibility with victims to take forward this incredibly important work."
