The independent inquiry into historical child sex abuse was thrown into further turmoil today when the largest victims' group withdrew, branding it an "unpalatable circus".
The Shirley Oaks Survivors Association, which represents 600 victims of alleged sexual abuse, said it has lost confidence in the inquiry's leadership. The group's withdrawal is yet another blow for the inquiry, which is on its fourth chairwoman in just two years and has seen a number of senior lawyers resign in recent months.
The group represents former residents of children's homes run by Lambeth council who claim they were abused by paedophiles over several decades. It said it believed the inquiry was a "botch job" and chair Professor Alexis Jay was the wrong person to lead it. Its representative, Raymond Stephenson, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme the inquiry was "failing tragically" and "failing publicly". He added: "They need to get rid of Alexis Jay, who has been parachuted in by the Home Office.
"She hasn't done anything wrong, she's just not the right person. We have to make a decision based on what we feel."