Victims: UK child abuse inquiry must go on after chief quits

LONDON – Abuse survivors and opposition politicians say the British government must make sure an inquiry into decades of child sexual abuse is not derailed by the sudden resignation of its chief.

Lowell Goddard, a judge from New Zealand, quit Thursday — the third chief the troubled probe has lost since it was announced in 2014.

Goddard was chosen to head the inquiry after two previous chairwomen were appointed and then rejected because of their connections to the establishment.

Lucy Duckworth, who sits on the inquiry victims’ panel, said Friday that the resignation was frustrating but the inquiry should go on.

Labour lawmaker Tom Watson said Home Secretary Amber Rudd “needs to reassure people that she’s still committed to this inquiry.”

Rudd says the inquiry will continue under a new chief.