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Poppi Worthington's father boasted he would sue police for £100,000 for wrongly accusing him of her murder, his former friends have claimed.  Paul Worthington, 49, sexually abused his daughter before she died in 2012, a coroner ruled last week.

Two of his former friends claim he told them: 'They think I murdered her but they've got nothing on me. There's no evidence and I'm going to sue them. I'll make £100,000. One ex-friend told the sun on Sunday’ He was always going on all the time about how much money he would get.'

Another added: 'All he seemed to be bothered about was money, not his daughter.'   

It comes as a petition calling for an independent review into the death of tragic 13-month-old Poppi reaches more than 30,000 signatures. 

Mr Worthington has avoided facing any criminal charges due to a series of farcical investigative and forensic blunders by Cumbria Police.

But the petition, which is using the hashtag #poppisvoice is calling for a review following the failure to prosecute her father.

Organisers set an initial target of 15,000 signatures but the figure was approaching 12,000 on Thursday night and reached 30,000 by Saturday.

The Crown Prosecution Service was on Wednesday reviewing the inquest report in case it offered enough fresh evidence to reopen their criminal probe into her death.

Already Poppi's local MP John Woodcock demanded a full public inquiry into Poppi's death and how the police case was so badly handled. Now Mr Woodcock has met Home Secretary Amber Rudd in her House of Commons office and been assured she will give his request her consideration.

Mr Woodcock, MP for Barrow-in-Furness, said: 'I am pleased that the home secretary took time to see me.

'She made clear she recognises the community is reeling over Poppi's death and the terrible failings that surround it.

'Mrs Rudd pledged to consider urgently what steps she can take in the light of (the inquest) verdict and asked me to work with her home office team to try to make any action she takes as effective as possible.

'Ministers always stress they cannot direct the Crown Prosecution Service who we are praying will look at the case in a fresh light following the coroner's verdict.

'But the home secretary can act to help restore confidence in our policing system which has been badly damaged by this terrible affair.