The government’s grooming gangs inquiry has been plunged into complete meltdown after a fourth survivor walked away from the victims’ panel, citing shock at the backgrounds of the prospective chairs shortlisted to lead the investigation.
Jessica, a pseudonym for a West Yorkshire survivor who has secured convictions against multiple perpetrators, became the latest to resign tonight after learning that former police officer Jim Gamble and social worker Annie Hudson were the two candidates being considered to chair the inquiry.
Her departure marks the fourth resignation in just days, creating a devastating crisis of confidence in Sir Keir Starmer’s promised investigation into decades of institutional failures that allowed thousands of children to be systematically raped.
“Shocked They Could Be Involved”
Speaking publicly in the media for the first time, Jessica explained her decision to GB News: “When I found out the two potential chairs were a former police officer and a former social worker, I was shocked and I didn’t know how they could be involved.
Her reaction mirrors concerns raised by the three previous survivors who quit – Fiona Goddard, Ellie-Ann Reynolds, and a third woman using the pseudonym Elizabeth – all of whom objected to having representatives of the very institutions that failed victims leading the inquiry into those failures.
Jessica was amongst several panel members blocked from attending meetings with the prospective chairs, adding to her frustration with how the process has been managed.
Hudson Withdraws Under Media Pressure
In a dramatic twist, Annie Hudson withdrew from consideration ahead of scheduled interviews with survivors, citing intense media pressure over her candidacy.
Hudson, a former director of children’s services at Lambeth London Borough and Bristol City Council, had faced fierce criticism from survivors who argued that social services “contributed most to the cover-up of the national mass rape and trafficking of children.”
Her withdrawal leaves Jim Gamble, the former deputy chief constable who headed the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, as the sole remaining known candidate – though he faces equally strong opposition from many survivors.
“Scared of Being Called Racist”
Jessica raised explosive concerns that the inquiry is being diluted to avoid uncomfortable truths about the nature of grooming gang crimes.
“I feel like they’re scared of being criticised and called racist and they don’t want to upset communities,” she stated. “There needs to be some accountability for what these people did to us.”
Her comments speak directly to the tension at the heart of grooming gang scandals, where authorities’ fear of being accused of racism allowed predominantly Pakistani heritage gangs to target white working-class girls for years.
Fears Inquiry Scope Being Expanded
Jessica and other survivors have raised alarm that the government is attempting to broaden the inquiry beyond grooming gangs specifically to encompass all child sexual exploitation.
This needs to be specifically based on grooming gangs. We’ve never had a proper investigation into just grooming gangs,” Jessica insisted.
This meant to be a targeted investigation, point blank, not an overall investigation,” she continued, echoing concerns that widening the scope would dilute focus on the specific ethnic and religious dimensions of grooming gang crimes.
Phillips Denies “Misinformation”
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has insisted the terms of reference would be “focussed on grooming gangs” and accused critics of spreading “misinformation.
She told the Home Affairs Select Committee that reports about broadening the scope were “untrue,” despite survivors themselves reporting they’ve been asked about wider child sexual exploitation issues beyond grooming gangs.
The disconnect between Phillips’s denials and survivors’ lived experience of the consultation process has further eroded trust.
“Letting Services Mark Their Own Homework”
The fundamental objection from resigning survivors centres on having representatives of failed institutions investigate those very failures.
Fiona Goddard, the first to quit, wrote in her resignation letter: “One has a background in police and the other, a social worker. The very two services that contributed most to the cover-up of the national mass rape and trafficking of children.”
“This is a disturbing conflict of interest, and I fear the lack of trust in services from years of failings and corruption will have a negative impact in survivor engagement with this inquiry,” she added.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has demanded a judge-led inquiry instead, arguing that only someone from outside the failed systems can credibly investigate what went wrong.
Panel Members Blocked From Interviews
Adding insult to injury, some survivors on the panel were prevented from attending sessions with the prospective chairs despite supposedly being central to the process.
Members were invited to apply to speak with Gamble and Hudson last week but were told space was limited.
Those excluded have shared frustration about being denied the ability to assess the suitability of candidates who would supposedly be working on their behalf.
“Toxic, Fearful Environment”
Goddard’s resignation letter described “secretive conduct and conditions imposed on survivors” that had created a “toxic, fearful environment” on the Victims/Survivor Liaison Panel.
Reynolds echoed these concerns, stating: “The Home Office held meetings we weren’t told about, made decisions we could not question, and withheld information that directly affected our work. When I asked for clarity, I was treated with contempt and ignored.”
The third survivor, Elizabeth, cited “sense of control and stage-management” that left victims “questioning whether our voices truly matter.”
Political Interference Allegations
Both Goddard and Reynolds accused the government of political interference in what should be an independent process.
Reynolds stated: “The final turning point for me was the push to widen the remit of the National Inquiry in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse.”
Goddard raised concerns about “certain members of the panel” and their connections with “members of the Labour Government,” describing this as a “conflict of interest.”
Lawyer Warns of “Stage-Management”
Richard Scorer, head of abuse law at Slater and Gordon representing about 30 grooming gang victims, warned: “I’m very concerned at the suggestions I’ve heard that the Home Office is seeking to stage-manage this process.
“To be effective, this inquiry has to be able, where necessary, to criticise the actions of politicians both at national and local level. Political interference at such an early stage in the process, if that is what is going on, does not bode well.”
Conservative Demands Judge-Led Inquiry
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp declared: “Victims and survivors have been betrayed over and over again. First by the authorities who ignored them, and now by a government that’s watering down its own inquiry before it’s even begun.”
This inquiry must be led by a sitting or recently retired senior judge, not ex-police officers or social workers marking their own homework.
Four Months Without Progress
The inquiry was announced by Starmer in summer 2025 after Baroness Casey’s audit found widespread ongoing problems with how the state understood and tackled grooming gangs.
Yet four months later, there’s still no chair appointed and the terms of reference remain under discussion – a timeline that suggests either incompetence or deliberate foot-dragging.
Home Office Insists Process Continuing
A Home Office spokesperson maintained: “The abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. We will do everything in our power to ensure these crimes never happen again.
“We are working urgently to appoint the best Chair to take forward this work, to get to the truth and deliver justice to the survivors.”
However, with four survivors having now quit in protest and one candidate already withdrawn, those assurances ring increasingly hollow.
As the inquiry descends into chaos before even formally beginning, the question becomes whether the government can salvage any credibility with survivors who have waited decades for accountability – or whether this represents yet another establishment cover-up hiding behind the veneer of an inquiry.
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Image Credit:
Jess Philips — photo taken at the 2023 Chiswick Book Festival, licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
