Child sex inquiry QC’s suspension ‘closely linked’ to deputy’s departure
THE shock suspension of the top barrister in the troubled child abuse inquiry is closely linked to the departure of his deputy, a senior source close to the investigation has revealed.
Ben Emmerson was suspended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse last week after it became ‘very concerned about aspects of his leadership’, and resigned soon after.
It then emerged that junior counsel to Britain’s biggest public inquiry, Elizabeth Prochaska, had quietly left her post a fortnight earlier.
Last night insiders told The Mail on Sunday that the two departures, which plunged the investigation into fresh chaos, were closely linked.
‘It is no coincidence that Ben’s suspension comes so soon after Elizabeth’s resignation, that’s what this is about,’ said one source.
The source indicated that behind the scenes, there had been a breakdown in the relationship between the top lawyers. And they added that Alexis Jay, the fourth person to chair the inquiry, will soon have to reveal the truth of their departures to MPs.
‘Everything that has happened will come out when this matter next goes before the Home Affairs Select Committee. The head of the inquiry will have to account for why Ben was suspended and then later offered his resignation.’
Mrs Jay is due to go before the Committee on October 18.
Mr Emmerson, 53, had been a key figure in the investigation set up by Theresa May in 2014 to look into allegations of VIP paedophile rings and establishment cover-ups, which will cost at least £100million and could last a decade.
Appointed after original chairman Baroness Butler-Sloss stood down over perceived conflicts of interest, he remained in place when replacement chairman Dame Fiona Woolf left and survived accusations that he had bullied abuse campaigners.
The acclaimed human rights barrister continued working behind the scenes when Dame Lowell Goddard became the third chairman, and he was paid a staggering £408,000 in the past financial year.
But not long after Goddard’s dramatic resignation, Mr Emmerson also left the inquiry in mysterious circumstances. He was suspended on Wednesday after claims first emerged that he was planning to leave, and the following day he was allowed to resign. In a letter to Alexis Jay, Mr Emmerson wrote: ‘I shall be sad to leave the inquiry, as I have been involved in this process longer than anyone else.
‘It is now time for someone else to take the helm with a different leadership of the counsel team.’
He added: ‘There is no truth in suggestions that I have resigned due to a difference of opinion with you about the next steps for the inquiry.’
Last night a spokesman for the inquiry declined to comment on the reasons behind his departure. The spokesman said Mr Emmerson was staying until November, and there were 20 other barristers and seven solicitors working on the inquiry.
Miss Prochaska, 35, had only been appointed as junior counsel to the inquiry this year after the departure in December of Hugh Davies, QC, who is understood to have clashed with Mr Emmerson.
She declined to comment on her reasons for leaving last night.
Some barristers who had been working on a part of the inquiry looking at Lord Janner, including Abigail Bright and Alexandra Felix, have been stood down while police and the police watchdog carry out investigations into the late Labour peer.
The inquiry will not hear any evidence until February next year.
James Berry MP, a barrister who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: ‘Clearly the departures of counsel to the inquiry will be disappointing for survivors and I look forward to the swift appointment of a replacement. It would be helpful for Alexis Jay to come before the committee to update us on the direction of travel.’