What did Theresa May know about the Child Abuse Inquiry?

We have a bit more clarity tonight on the crucial question of when Theresa May knew the Child Abuse Inquiry she set up was in serious trouble.

At Prime Minister's Questions today, an excellent question from Labour MP Lisa Nandy did manage to squeeze out some information from the Prime Minister.

Theresa May - who was the Home Secretary until July - responded by saying "there were stories around about the inquiry" but went on to state that it would have been wrong for her to intervene on "the basis of suspicion, rumour or hearsay."

She did not say exactly when it was she became aware of the problems.

That inevitably left more questions for Mrs May's spokeswoman this afternoon in her daily briefing with political journalists.

She started by saying Theresa May knew of issues "some weeks before" Dame Lowell Goddard resigned as the head of the inquiry on July 29.

Did those "some weeks before" mean Theresa May was Home Secretary or Prime Minister?

The reply from Downing Street (when one eventually came) was that Theresa May was still the Home Secretary.

That is crucial because only the Home Secretary has to power to intervene in this sensitive inquiry.

As for what Mrs May meant by the "stories" she referred to in the Commons today, her spokeswoman said they were "tensions".

But at that time,there were no specific allegations and the then Home Secretary could only have acted had there been a "formal complaint" or "convincing evidence".

There is no suggestion Theresa May acted improperly in the face of these reported tensions - but the way in which the information has been dragged out of Downing Street rather contradicts the straight-talking image Mrs May is very keen on.