The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has officially stepped down from a charity he founded and its chief executive has also left after concerns were raised over his salary.
Hunt founded the healthcare charity Patient Safety Watch in 2019 and served as one of its trustees until November, when he left the organisation after being appointed Chancellor.
Adam Smith, chief executive of Patient Safety Watch, has now also left the organisation.
Earlier this year it was revealed that the charity was paying Smith, who was its only employee, between £110,000 and £120,000, 72 per cent of the charity’s annual income.
Smith had previously worked as Hunt’s special adviser before resigning in 2012, after allegations that he had a close relationship with News Corporation.
The charity has appointed James Titcombe, one of its two remaining trustees, to replace Hunt as chair, but has not yet appointed a new chief executive.
A Patient Safety Watch spokesperson said: “We are grateful for the fantastic work Adam Smith did establishing Patient Safety Watch with its important research programme into avoidable harm and deaths, and widely read weekly newsletter.
“James Titcombe has now stepped in to lead the charity as chair while the trustees review options for the future and a decision on long-term leadership will be taken in due course.”