Retired judge Baroness Butler-Sloss has stepped down as the head of a probe into the possible MP child abuse ring. According to Downing Street, the decision was entirely her own.
Lady Butler-Sloss had come under fire from victims and MPs in the investigation due to her links to the case: her brother, now deceased, was attorney general in the 1980s.
A new chairmen will be appointed in the coming days, according to Downing Street, which will more than likely aim to choose someone with no ties to Parliament.
Chairmen of the Commons home affairs select committee, Keith Vaz, reckoned that the Baroness had made the right decision in stepping down.
"The whole inquiry process is becoming shambolic: missing files, ministers refusing to read reports and now the chair resigning before the inquiry is has even commenced," he told the BBC.
In her statement, Lady Butler-Sloss added that she had been honoured to chair the inquiry, despite the calls to step down.
"It has become apparent over the last few days," she added. "That there is a widespread perception, particularly among victim and survivor groups, that I am not the right person to chair the inquiry.
"It has also become clear to me that I did not sufficiently consider whether my background and the fact my brother had been attorney general would cause difficulties.
"This is a victim-orientated inquiry and those who wish to be heard must have confidence that the members of the panel will pay proper regard to their concerns and give appropriate advice to government."
The inquiry, set up to investigate how the state handles the care of children at risk from paedophiles, continues.
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