The Government’s national grooming gang inquiry has plunged into chaos as abuse survivors divide over whether Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips should remain in post, exposing deep rifts about the probe’s direction and scope.
Multiple sources in Government have made clear there is widespread determination from Downing Street to the Home Office to keep Phillips in her role, despite four survivors who resigned from the inquiry’s victims liaison panel this week demanding she step down. The minister faces accusations of “betrayal” for contradicting their concerns about the investigation’s focus.
However, a rival group of five survivors has written to the Prime Minister insisting Phillips must stay to provide crucial continuity, creating an extraordinary split amongst those the inquiry is meant to serve.
The bitter division emerged after Fiona Goddard, Ellie Reynolds, Elizabeth Harper and a woman known as Jessica quit the panel, citing what they termed another “cover-up”. They set five conditions for their return, with Phillips’s resignation topping the list.
Being publicly contradicted and dismissed by a government minister when you are a survivor telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again,” their letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated. “It is a betrayal that has destroyed what little trust remained.”
The controversy centres on whether the inquiry should broaden beyond grooming gangs to encompass wider child sexual exploitation. Sources told the BBC an email from NWG, the charity liaising with survivors on behalf of Government, asked panel members if they wanted a “broader approach” beyond grooming gangs.
Phillips told Parliament that suggestions the inquiry’s remit would be expanded were “categorically untrue”. Yet text messages seen by the New Statesman show Goddard directly challenged the minister about the NWG email. Phillips responded that she personally believed it should remain grooming gang-specific but wanted survivors’ formal input before deciding.
The explanation failed to satisfy those who quit. Reynolds said the turning point was “the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse”. The four insist evidence has proven they were telling the truth about attempts to broaden the scope.
However, a second survivor group led by Samantha Walker-Roberts has rallied behind Phillips, listing seven conditions for their continued participation, including the minister retaining her position. Their letter, co-signed by Scarlett Jones, Caitlin Spencer and two using pseudonyms Claire and Katie, praised Phillips’s record.
“Jess Phillips has remained impartial to the process, only listening to feedback,” they wrote. “We want her to remain in position for the duration of the process for consistency. Her previous experience and drive to reduce violence against women and girls and her clear passion and commitment is important to us.”
Walker-Roberts’s group clarified that Phillips herself had not suggested widening the inquiry. They explained survivors within the panel had raised concerns about being excluded for not fitting grooming gang stereotypes, prompting questions about focusing on child sexual exploitation more broadly.
When asked directly in the feedback session, Jess was clear that the focus would be on grooming gangs,” they stated. The group suggested reducing panel size and barring re-entry for those who quit to resolve the impasse.
Government sources told the BBC the panel originally contained at least 30 members, significantly more than previously reported, with survivors holding divergent views on speaking out publicly, who should chair the inquiry and how it should proceed.
Sir Keir Starmer backed Phillips during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, assuring MPs: “The inquiry is not and will never be watered down. Its scope will not change. It will examine the ethnicity and religion of the offenders and we will find the right person to chair the inquiry.”
Speaking to ITV Meridian on Thursday, the Prime Minister reiterated his confidence in Phillips, describing her as having “huge experience in issues relating to violence against women and girls” with “vast parts of her life and career” devoted to the cause.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour there was “no one in Parliament who has done more to tackle violence against women and girls than Jess. A Home Office spokesperson confirmed Phillips has Mahmood’s “full support.
The turmoil deepened this week when both candidates publicly named as potential chairs withdrew. Annie Hudson, a former director of children’s services for Lambeth, pulled out on Tuesday. Jim Gamble, the former Northern Ireland police officer and child abuse expert whom ministers hoped to appoint, followed on Wednesday.
Gamble cited a “lack of confidence” among some survivors due to his police background. Writing on social media, he criticised those “who have been mischief-making” by highlighting his former career, calling it “nonsense” to suggest he would align with any political party to hide their failings.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, Gamble questioned whether a judge should lead the inquiry, arguing the chair should be chosen for “integrity” and “character” rather than institutional affiliation. He noted the Government was following recommendations from Baroness Louise Casey’s report, which did not advocate appointing a judge.
The Telegraph reported another survivor, Gaia Cooper, had also quit the panel and backed calls for a judge-led inquiry. The BBC understands a survivor using the pseudonym Carly wants Phillips removed but wishes to remain on the panel.
Senior Government figures acknowledge that abuse victims have been repeatedly failed by state agencies, making trust extraordinarily difficult to establish. Upset and vulnerable people hit out when they are in pain, and that is entirely understandable,” one source told the BBC.
Officials expect appointing a new chair will take months. The process was thrown into disarray when Gamble, their leading candidate, declined the role. Sources say they are taking urgent steps to find alternatives and will re-engage with survivors to understand who they want leading the inquiry.
“We will move as fast as possible, but must also take the time, likely months, to appoint the right chair,” a source added. The Home Office said it was “disappointed” candidates had withdrawn and stressed the need to “take the time to appoint the best person suitable for the role.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged “setbacks” but insisted: “We move forward. The starting point is: this is hard.”
Opposition parties seized on the chaos. Conservative shadow housing secretary James Cleverly said Phillips should stand down because “when the victims say that they don’t have confidence in her, we have to listen to them. Liberal Democrats criticised both main parties, saying the inquiry “cannot continue to be a political football.
The inquiry was announced in June following Casey’s review of grooming gang cases. Sir Keir promised it would have powers to compel witnesses and would be guided by the survivors panel. The probe will examine child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs in England and Wales, with particular focus on the ethnicity and religion of perpetrators.
The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of intense public scrutiny. Working-class white British communities particularly remember police, council and social services failures to protect children, with accusations that officials downplayed perpetrators’ ethnic backgrounds.
Sir Keir is understood to be planning direct contact with survivors to rebuild trust. Walker-Roberts’s group suggested tighter panel management might help, proposing smaller membership with no re-entry for those who forfeit positions.
Government sources insist the inquiry will proceed despite the difficulties, with officials committed to finding a chair acceptable to survivors whilst maintaining the investigation’s grooming gang focus. Whether the divided survivor groups can be reconciled remains uncertain as ministers dig in to protect Phillips from mounting pressure.
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Image Credit:
Jess Phillips — official portrait (2019), photo by Chris McAndrew, licensed under CC BY 3.0 (commons.wikimedia.org)
