Supreme Court backs Sharon Shoesmith compensation bid

Sharon Shoesmith, the children's services director who failed to save Baby P, was today cleared to claim up to £2.5 million in compensation for her sacking.

The Supreme Court rejected moves to overturn an Appeal Court judgment that she was unfairly dismissed for the catastrophic failings in her organisation.

The decision sparked a furious political row, with Tories saying the blame for the fiasco lay with Ed Balls, the then Children's Secretary, who removed sacked Ms Shoesmith in 2008 after a devastating Ofsted report about the torture and killing of toddler Peter Connelly.

Ms Shoesmith, 58, earned £133,000 a year and stands to receive a payout for loss of earnings, the ruin of her career, restoration of pension rights and reputational damage which could add up to as much as £2.5 million.