1,000 signatures reached
To: Bill Esterson MP and the Earl of Listowel as Vice-Chairs of the APPG
Remove Craig Whittaker as chair of APPG for looked-after children
Ask Craig Whittaker MP to step down as chair of the APPG or vote him out if he refuses to resign
Why is this important?
Craig Whittaker MP has shown an appalling lack of judgement and caused great distress to survivors of sexual abuse by sharing a sick joke about Jimmy Savile on Twitter on 5th May 2015. He tweeted: Trust Labour? I'd rather trust Jimmy Savile to babysit! with a link to a Richard Littlejohn piece in the Daily Mail, from which the quote was taken. Many people and organisations have condemned this in the national press and on Twitter, including lawyers representing many of Savile’s victims. He has repeatedly been asked to apologise but to date Whittaker has neither deleted the tweet nor apologised. Whittaker’s role as chair of the all-party group for looked-after children is not tenable – he has shown complete contempt for the many care leavers who have experienced abuse (and bearing in mind that many of Savile’s victims were in care). We call on the two vice-chairs of the APPG to ask Whittaker to step aside or remove him if he refuses to resign.
