FOURTH Save the Children boss in firing line
A FOURTH Save the Children boss faced pressure to resign last night over the sexual harassment scandal that has rocked the charity.
Whistleblower Alexia Pepper de Caires said chief executive Kevin Watkins should stand down over his links to three senior figures who have been forced to quit.
Her call came two days after chairman Sir Alan Parker resigned over claims that sex-pest complaints against former STC chiefs Justin Forsyth and Brendan Cox were covered up for years.
Ms de Caires told The Mail on Sunday: ‘If the STC stables are to be cleaned out, it must be done properly. Mr Watkins should step down too.
‘He was the fourth member of the cosy club of men together with Sir Alan, Mr Forsyth and Mr Cox, who were responsible for the culture of complicity that led to the mistreatment of women at the charity.’
PR mogul Sir Alan, a close friend of Gordon Brown and David Cameron, quit as head of STC’s international arm after the Charity Commission watchdog announced a probe into its handling of complaints against ex-chief executive Mr Forsyth and former policy director Mr Cox, the widower of murdered MP Jo Cox.
Sir Alan denied claims that he ‘protected’ Mr Cox and Mr Forsyth. But Ms de Caires, who works for the Women’s Equality Party, said: ‘Alan Parker should have resigned long ago over the scandalous cover-up of sexual harassment by Cox and Forsyth.’
Defiant Mr Watkins said last night he would not quit, adding: ‘I have zero tolerance for bullying or sexual harassment. That is why I established an independent review to strengthen our workplace culture. I am also co-operating with the Charity Commission inquiry.’