Of the three people running the new rape gang inquiry – finally announced this week – two are publicly registered as Labour members. Chairman Longfield is by dint of being a Labour peer…
Shabana Mahmood announced on Tuesday that Longfield would be aided by a panel made up of Zoë Billingham, chairman of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, and former Chief Executive of Southwark Council Eleanor Kelly. Billingham is also chairman of the Police Remuneration Review Body – for which a register of interests has been produced. She is a Labour Party member…
Longfield has raised some eyebrows for her strong interest in promoting diversity and inclusion. Her Centre for Young Lives released a report this year calling for the government to shoehorn more DEI material into the school curriculum. A lot is riding on this panel…
UPDATE: Third inquiry panel member Eleanor Kelly, former chief executive of Southwark Council, also has a history of partisan activity on her private X account. That makes three out of three…
Speaking about Morgan McSweeney’s resignation, skills minister Jacqui Smith told Times Radio:
“It’s clearly not ideal but I do understand why Morgan, as he explained, decided to resign at this point. But the important thing as you say is how we both tackle what this Epstein and Mandelson scandal has identified and also how we make sure, as the prime minister is absolutely determined to, that we continue the change that the country needs and that’s what I’m focusing on this morning.”