Pressure mounts on Justin Welby to quit as Starmer says abuse victims were ‘failed badly’
The IndependentSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer has piled further pressure on Justin Welby amid growing calls for him to resign as the Archbishop of Canterbury, saying the victims of a Church of England-linked abuser had been “failed very, very badly”. While Sir Keir would not comment directly on Mr Welby’s position, saying it was a “matter, in the end, for the church”, he made clear that the victims had been let down. The independent Makin Review concluded that barrister John Smyth, who is thought to have been the most prolific abuser associated with the church, might have been brought to justice had the archbishop formally alerted authorities in 2013. open image in gallery Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking at the Cop29 talks in Baku Asked about the case at a press conference in Baku, the prime minister said: “Let me be clear: of what I know of the allegations, they are clearly horrific in relation to this particular case, both in their scale and their content. open image in gallery The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby “And the pain in the victim community and the pain of not listening to people and not responding to people who are profoundly hurt by those in positions of power means that this is no longer a person who can carry the representative role of that office.” On Monday, the Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, warned that the church is “in danger of losing complete credibility” in safeguarding, urging Mr Welby to resign.