The most senior lawyer at the national inquiry into child sexual abuse is reportedly considering resigning in a dispute with the new chairwoman.

Ben Emmerson QC is said to disagree "fundamentally" with Professor Alexis Jay over the future of the investigation in a row that could bring another serious setback for the probe.

He is believed to want the inquiry to be restructured to reduce its workload, but Prof Jay and Home Secretary Amber Rudd have said the scope will not be changed.

Earlier this month, Prof Jay defended the inquiry and insisted it will not be scaled back - despite her predecessor Dame Lowell Goddard saying there was an "inherent problem" in its "sheer scale and size" as she called for a "complete review".