Stephen Lawrence's mother to meet home secretary over smear claims Doreen Lawrence has said the smear claims were among the most troubling aspects of an affair that seemed to have lost its power to shock. The furore over claims that the Met sought to smear the family of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence and their supporters took a dramatic twist on Tuesday night when it emerged that his mother is to meet with the home secretary on Thursday morning. Whitehall sources say Theresa May acceded to a request from Doreen Lawrence. Though ministers are keen not to prejudge the result of any formal inquiry into the claims from former undercover police officer Peter Francis, they are anxious to assure the Lawrences that the allegations are being taken seriously. They are also mindful of the public backlash that would occur if they were seen to have snubbed Lawrence. Reacting to the claims, first revealed in the Guardian, that some officers directed their focus towards discrediting the family and campaigners, Doreen Lawrence said it was one of the most troubling aspects of an affair that seemed to have lost its power to shock. Her husband, Neville Lawrence, speaking to Newsnight from Jamaica on Monday, accused ministers of underplaying the scale of the scandal. He said there must be a public inquiry. Coalition ministers are alive to the need to have a good relationship with the Lawrences. Last year, Doreen Lawrence reacted angrily to the failure of the prime minister and Nick Clegg to reply to letters she had sent them. She said the government seemed indifferent to the effect of cuts on poor communities. May will also have noted the reinvolvement in the case of the former Labour home secretary Jack Straw. On Tuesday Straw confirmed that he will personally refer Francis's allegations relating to the Lawrences for investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. He said that even he, as home secretary, was unaware of the elite undercover unit that allegedly deployed Francis to smear the Lawrences.