Alison Saunders became head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2013

She has attracted controversy over a series of failed rape prosecutions

It has been reported that she has not asked for her contract to be renewed

An ally of Mrs Saunders commended her for doing well within a limited budget

The Director of Public Prosecutions today denied being pushed out of her job amid claims her 'disastrous' five year term was brought to an end by ministers.

Alison Saunders insisted the decision to stand down from the £250,000 a year post was made entirely by her.

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Sources claimed today it had been made clear to Mrs Saunders that her five year term would not be renewed in October following a series of controversies.

Daniel Janner, the son of late Labour peer Lord Janner, led condemnation of Mrs Saunders today over her pursuit of abuse allegations against his father.

The Crown Prosecution Service has been left reeling following a series of collapsed rape trials in recent months. Mrs Saunders also oversaw controversial - and failed - prosecutions of journalists and historic child abuse cases.

But asked today if she had been told she would not be given a new contract, Mrs Saunders told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'They have not said that to me at all.'

Alison Saunders became head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2013

Mrs Saunders said she had made the decision to leave the post and had already planned the next step of her career, at private law firm Linklaters.

She said: 'I told them I would not be asking for an extension. It's not been an issue for discussion.'

She added: 'It was my decision to leave. DPPs serve a term of five years. I was clear that five years was a good term to serve and I have already decided what I will be doing when I leave in October.'

Mrs Saunders denied claims the CPS has failed under her watch, insisting her prosecutors were performing as well or better than ever before in courts up and down the country despite budget cuts.

She claimed criticism of the CPS was 'insulting' to the lawyers who make decisions about people's lives every day in England and Wales.

And she insisted measures were taken to address concerns about evidence disclosure in rape cases following a series of high-profile trials collapsed last year.

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Daniel Janner, the son of late Labour peer Lord Janner, led condemnation of Mrs Saunders today over her pursuit of abuse allegations against his father.

Lord Janner was forced to make an appearance in court shortly before his death despite suffering from dementia.

Mr Janner, himself a QC, told Today: 'She has been an appalling DPP.

'The CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) under her has fallen into disrepute as the latest collapses over disclosure has established.'

She has attracted controversy over a series of failed rape prosecutions

Over her tenure Mrs Saunders has attracted increasing controversy over a series of failed rape prosecutions.

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'It was felt a clean break was needed,' a Whitehall source told the Daily Telegraph.

'Alison's tenure has been highly contentious, to say the least, and we want someone who can come into this job with a clear agenda.

It was made clear that her contract would not be extended.' A senior lawyer told the paper: 'It has been a disastrous tenure, it has reduced the credibility of the role after (predecessor) Keir Starmer.'

But an ally of Mrs Saunders commended her for doing well within a limited budget and said she has done a 'pretty reasonable job'.

Mrs Saunders, who earned £250,000 as DPP in 2017, started her career at the CPS in 1986.

The high-flying lawyer has come under fire for insisting no innocent person is in jail after being wrongly convicted because of mistakes in disclosure. Data obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act found the number of prosecutions that have collapsed because of blunders in disclosing crucial evidence has soared by 70 per cent in the past two years.

Liam Allan, 22, was charged with six counts of rape before being cleared

More than 900 suspects had charges dropped last year because police and prosecutors failed to hand evidence to defence lawyers.

In the lead up to criminal trials, police and prosecutors have a duty to disclose evidence that might either assist the defence case or undermine the prosecution.

But the recent collapse of several rape cases has heightened concerns that evidence is not being disclosed early enough, and that the rules are not being followed.

The trial of student Liam Allan, 22, who was charged with six counts of rape, was halted by a judge after it emerged his accuser had sent hundreds of messages to friends that would have cleared him.

The case against an Oxford student accused of rape was dropped days before he was due to stand trial after evidence including his accuser's diary was uncovered. Oliver Mears, 19, had spent more than two years on bail. Last month Mrs Saunders faced criticism after prosecutors failed to secure a conviction for female genital mutilation for a third time.

The Attorney General's office said: 'In line with her predecessors, the DPP was appointed for a five-year term which ends in October 2018.

'The DPP did not ask for an extension to her contract. She will take up a position as a partner in (law firm) Linklaters when she leaves the CPS.'

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Mrs Saunders predecessor Sir Keir Starmer - now a Labour MP - also only served a single five year term as DPP.