Sex abuse probe: London Lord Mayor quits panel

LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A major public inquiry into the British state's failure to stop decades of child sex abuse, and whether political figures tried to cover it up, was in chaos on Friday after the second head of the investigation quit before it has even started work.

The decision by Fiona Woolf, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, to step down is a major embarrassment for Prime Minister David Cameron's government which has promised the inquiry would leave “no stone unturned” to find the truth about widespread claims of organised sex abuse.

Critics had said Woolf had no qualifications for the role and was too close to a former government minister likely to be an important witness at the inquiry for victims to have any confidence in her.

“Sadly, it's become clear that the inquiry as chaired by me will not have widespread victim support - and I am particularly sensitive to the views of victims,” Woolf said in a statement.

“As their needs must be paramount, I have decided to stand aside so that this important work can proceed without the obstacle of negative speculation and comment.” Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May ordered the inquiry, expected to last for years, in July in response to a growing clamour from victims that the authorities had failed to act over child abuse allegations for years.

It also followed a number of high-profile cases such as those of BBC presenter Jimmy Savile, who abused hundreds of victims for decades, and accusations about Cyril Smith, a former lawmaker in northwest England, both of whom are now dead.

The wide-ranging investigation will look at whether ministers, parliament, police, councils, churches and schools among others failed to identify and protect child children from child abuse from 1970 up to the present day.

But since its launch, the inquiry has been dogged by criticism and accusations from victims that it would not examine claims politicians and public figures were involved in cover-ups, and that some were even involved in the abuse themselves.