diligence

However, the DfE confirmed its due diligence checks did not examine the financial background of independent schools' prospective proprietors.

It was committed to transparency but there was "an expectation and obligation that the customer completes their own due diligence".

If concerns aren’t acted on with "diligence and robustness,” that could, in his view, "potentially be interpreted by abusers as a bit of a green light”.

In February 2023, an environmental review identified a contamination risk from "asbestos-containing materials in existing buildings and contaminated ground", while a due diligence report assessed conditions at the site as "high risk".

The charity said that their head, Fearghal McKinney, had a phone call with O'Neill in which she "agreed recent comments by her and party colleagues questioning the BHF’s due diligence process were unhelpful".