TODAY The Mail relaunches its campaign for answers into how a botched investigation into baby Poppi Worthington’s death has allowed her father to escape the full force of the justice system.

Today, yet again, we hear an expert’s considered conclusion: that Paul Worthington did sexually assault his daughter on the night of her death.

And today, yet again, we call upon the Home Secretary to act.

We are relaunching our #justiceforpoppi campaign, calling for Amber Rudd to order an independent inquiry into the failings surrounding her death and the investigation into it.

Apologies are simply not good enough when a little girl has suffered at the hands of a man who should have lived to protect her – and has been denied justice at the hands of a system which should have done the same.

We must know how exactly this case was allowed to be so catastrophically mishandled, so that similar tragedies can never happen again here or anywhere else in this country.

Our drive has already won the backing of Barrow and Furness MP, John Woodcock.

Responding to the coroner’s verdict into Poppi’s death, Mr Woodcock said: “This is the verdict we all feared – Poppi was probably assaulted by her father before she died.

“That little girl will probably never get justice because of grotesque failings into the police investigation into her death but we owe it to her to campaign for a public inquiry that can expose all that is rotten in the system that has led us to this terrible day.

“It is hard to overstate our community’s anger at seeing an officer found responsible for gross incompetence able to keep a job in the force before retiring. This is not accountability.

“I am today writing to the Home Secretary to demand she establishes a public inquiry that will examine the following:

- Safeguards to ensure gross negligence in a criminal investigation can never again be allowed to place communities at risk;

- Changes to policing to strengthen accountability and prevent negligent officers from retiring to escape scrutiny;

- The decision by Cumbria police to offer an officer found guilty of gross incompetence an alternative senior role in the force rather than dismissing her;

- Changes to strengthen guidance on social care protection for the children of parents who have previously had a child taken into permanent care;

- The required level investment in our public services to deliver these changes.

“Police officers work so hard to keep our community safe but they need leaders now who are prepared to recognise the damage that has been done by this tragedy and campaign for real change to restore public confidence.”