The government inquiry into grooming gangs who abused young girls in towns and cities across the UK has been mired in controversy this week as the personnel at the head of and the remit of the investigation have been called into question by stakeholders.
Four abuse survivors insist Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips steps down as a condition for them to rejoin the inquiry into the sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs. Contrastingly, five different survivors on the panel have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to state that they will only keep working on the inquiry if Phillips remains in post.
Phillips faced criticism from the survivors amid allegations that the government is attempting to widen the inquiry’s scope beyond grooming gangs, to include other forms of sexual abuse, for political reasons. She been accused of ‘betrayal’, and called ‘unfit’ to oversee the inquiry, by the four resigning women.
One of the survivors who resigned, Ellie-Ann Reynolds, said that a crucial factor in her decision to resign was that the push to widen the remit of the inquiry was an attempt to ‘downplay the racial and religious motivations’ behind the abuse. Phillips has maintained that allegations suggesting that the inquiry is being intentionally diluted are ‘false’.
Yet, survivors who support Phillips in her role, have commended her for her devotion to her work and support the way the inquiry is proceeding. With Samantha Walker- Roberts, stating she wants the scope of the inquiry to include victims of all types of sexual exploitation.
The four resigning survivors, also expressed their concerns about the potentials chairs for the inquiry having links to policing and social care.
Despite this, Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister has confirmed his confidence in Phillips, describing her as a ‘lifelong advocate’ for abused young girls. He also states that Phillips has the ‘full backing of the prime minister and home secretary’.
Keir Starmer voiced his support for Phillips, commending her experience in dealing with violence against women and girls.
The national inquiry into the organised child sexual exploitation was announced by Keir Starmer in June. However, tensions have escalated over the last week. The Inquiry faced a fresh setback, when Jim Gamble, a former Police Chief and the front runner to chair the inquiry, withdrew his candidacy amid growing discontent from survivors.
Fiona Goddard, one of the survivors who resigned, stated that having potential chairs with a background in the police or social services, the ‘very services that contributed to the cover-up’ of sexual abuse and ‘trafficking of children’ is a ‘disturbing conflict of interest’. She warned that this undermines trust in the inquiry.
