Sir Charles Warren, The Metropolitan Police Commissioner had resigned his position around the time of the murder of Mary Kelly. You can read more about Sir Charles Warren on this dedicated page.

On 24th November 1888 the Cabinet met to discuss the issue of his successor and it was reported in the press that the next commissor would be decided at this meeting.

Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, the Home Secretary was asked if there were any plans to offer a free pardon for anyone accomplice of the Whitechapel Murderer who might come forward.

It had been decided in the wake of Mary Kelly's Murder that there might be some benefit in offerring a pardon, but this raised the point as to why such a pardon shouldn't be offerred in relation to the other murders.

Henry Mathews replied that he would:-

"...be quite prepared to offer a pardon in the case of the earlier murders if the information before me led to believe that it would assist in the detection of the murderer. In the case of the woman Kelly there were certain circumstances which were wanting in the earlier cases, which made it more probable that other persons - at any rate after the crime - had assisted the murderer..."