The government’s national inquiry into grooming gangs has been accused of “descending into chaos”, with Home Office minister Jess Phillips being called a “liar” for disputing allegations that the inquiry is being diluted.
It comes after three survivors resigned from the inquiry’s liaison panel, while a frontrunner to chair it has also pulled out of the process.
Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds, two prominent survivors, resigned from the panel over the last 48 hours, expressing concerns about how the process was being handled.
A third, who goes by the name of Elizabeth – which is not her real name – followed this afternoon.
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Some of their fears centred around the perceived prospect of the inquiry being diluted by broadening its scope beyond group-based sexual abuse, and pushes for it to have a regional focus rather than it being truly national.
Ms Phillips, the Home Office minister, said this was “untrue”.
Ms Goddard responded to say: “This is a lie.”
Fiona Goddard‘s resignation letter, which Sky News published extracts from on Monday, cited a “toxic, fearful environment” and “condescending and controlling language” used towards survivors.
Ms Goddard also expressed deep reservations about the shortlisted chairs for the inquiry. Her resignation came after Sky News revealed the two leading candidates were former police chief Jim Gamble and social worker Annie Hudson, who were due to meet the survivors panel on Tuesday, before Ms Hudson withdrew from the running.
Some survivors expressed concern that the two candidates’ backgrounds in policing and social work might lead to conflicts of interest.
