// MPs have said Mrs Woolf, the Lord Mayor of London, should step down over her social and professional links with Lord Brittan.
The final version of Mrs Woolf’s letter was finally sent to Theresa May, the Home Secretary, on October 11, in which Mrs Woolf stated her personal contact with Lord Brittan would not affect her “independence and impartiality”.
But earlier drafts of her letter – seven in all – were ping-ponged between Mrs Woolf’s private office, the Home Office, lawyers to the sex abuse inquiry and counsel representing the Home Secretary.
Although the letter gave the impression of being a personal statement of impartiality by Mrs Woolf, the truth was very different.
The final draft had been altered beyond recognition when compared with the original version.
Furthermore, an unknown number of lawyers and civil servants had been allowed to have input into Mrs Woolf’s letter.
As pointed out by the chairman of the home affairs select committee, Keith Vaz MP, even the facts appeared to have been manipulated to place greater distance between Mrs Woolf and Lord Brittan. //
As the friendship between Lady Woolf and the Brittans appears to be well known ( there have been several photographs published of them together at functions), then one wonders why she was even considered for the post.
The result will be that the inquiry will have been delayed for several months, so perhaps that is the answer.