This is the picture which last night intensified pressure on the head of the Government’s child abuse inquiry to resign. It shows Fiona Woolf with Lady Brittan, the wife of former Home Secretary Lord Brittan, at an awards ceremony in October 2013. This is despite Mrs Woolf telling MPs that she had had no social contact with the Brittans since April 2013. Victims of sexual abuse, their lawyers and MPs last night called for Mrs Woolf to resign over her dinner-party links to Lord Brittan, who is likely to be called to give evidence to the inquiry about allegations – which he denies – that he was at the centre of an Establishment cover-up of sex abuse claims.
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Theresa May appointed Fiona Woolf  after her original choice quit
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Lady Butler-Sloss stepped down because her brother was attorney general
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But Woolf admitted she is a dinner party friend of top Tory Leon Brittan
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Brittan rejects claims he failed to act on 1980s dossier of abuse allegations
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Lawyer for victims said Mrs Woolf was 'beyond the pale' over links
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Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg distances himself from Mrs Woolf
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Victim of child sex abuse launches legal challenge to her appointment
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A group of victims launched a legal challenge to Mrs Woolf’s appointment on the grounds her friendship with the Brittans undermined her impartiality;
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A senior Tory minister admitted Mrs Woolf would have to show she had the confidence of victims and ‘time would tell’ if she had that;
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An abuse victim on the inquiry panel admitted it had got off to a ‘very difficult start’;
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Labour said her position was ‘not viable’.
Home Secretary @placeholder has insisted the inquiry can go ahead, despite the chairman's links to Leon Brittan (right, with his wife)