Sir Keir Starmer has defended Jess Phillips despite rape gang victims demanding she be removed as Safeguarding Minister after she dismissed their concerns as “untrue.”
A group of five abuse survivors accused Phillips of “betrayal” over a letter where she described reports the scope of the grooming gangs inquiry could be expanded as “untrue” – despite survivors themselves raising these concerns based on their direct participation in consultation processes.
Now, a Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister has “full confidence” in Phillips and she will continue to work with the victims – even though multiple survivors have quit the inquiry panel citing her behaviour.
Starmer to Support Phillips “Urgently”
They added Sir Keir Starmer would support Jess Phillips “urgently to support the appointment of a chair and getting it up and running.
The backing comes despite the inquiry having descended into chaos with both shortlisted chair candidates withdrawing and four survivors quitting the victims panel in protest.
“Spent Her Career Fighting for Victims”
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “Jess Phillips has spent her career fighting for victims and survivors and trying to protect them from abuse, working closely with and determined to get them justice.”
They added Phillips “was reassuring the victims that they will always be listened to.”
However, survivors who have actually worked with Phillips on the inquiry panel dispute this characterisation, with one calling her denials a “blatant lie.”
Five Survivors Accuse Phillips of “Betrayal”
The group of five abuse survivors who accused Phillips of “betrayal” included women who quit the inquiry’s victims panel after feeling ignored, controlled and manipulated by the process.
Their specific complaint centres on Phillips publicly dismissing as “untrue” their concerns about the inquiry’s scope being expanded beyond grooming gangs specifically – concerns based on their direct experience of consultation questions.
Called Survivors’ Concerns “Misinformation”
Phillips told the Home Affairs Select Committee that reports about broadening the inquiry’s scope were “misinformation” and “untrue.”
Yet survivors including Jessica, Fiona Goddard, Ellie Reynolds and Elizabeth all independently raised identical concerns about being asked questions suggesting the inquiry would cover all child sexual exploitation rather than grooming gangs specifically.
Goddard: Phillips Is a “Liar”
Fiona Goddard, one of the survivors who quit, called Phillips’s denials a “blatant lie” and said she would only consider returning to the panel if Phillips resigned.
The blunt accusation from a grooming gang survivor who worked directly with Phillips undermines the minister’s credibility.
Four Survivors Quit Panel
Four abuse survivors have now quit the inquiry’s victims panel:
- Fiona Goddard (Bradford)
- Ellie Reynolds (Barrow)
- Elizabeth (Rotherham)
- Jessica (West Yorkshire)
All cited similar concerns about the inquiry being watered down, survivors being excluded from meetings, and feeling their voices didn’t matter.
Both Chair Candidates Withdrawn
The inquiry has also lost both candidates shortlisted to chair the investigation:
- Annie Hudson (former social worker) – withdrew citing media pressure
- Jim Gamble (former police officer) – withdrew after survivors objected
The departures leave the inquiry with no leadership and no functional victims panel.
Survivors Object to Phillips’s Denials
The core issue is that Phillips publicly contradicted survivors’ lived experiences of the consultation process.
When women who were gang-raped as children say they were asked questions suggesting scope expansion, and the Safeguarding Minister calls this “misinformation,” survivors feel betrayed.
“Door Always Open”
Despite the mass exodus, the government maintains the “door will always be open” for survivors to return.
However, survivors have made clear they won’t return unless fundamental changes occur – with Goddard specifically demanding Phillips’s resignation.
Inquiry in Total Chaos
The grooming gangs inquiry announced by Starmer in June now faces:
- No chair candidates remaining
- Four survivors quit from victims panel
- Accusations of government “stage-management”
- Delays extending months beyond original timeline
- Complete loss of credibility with survivors
“Full Confidence”
Starmer’s expression of “full confidence” in Phillips despite the inquiry’s collapse suggests either:
- He doesn’t understand the severity of the crisis
- He prioritises protecting his minister over survivors’ concerns
- He believes Phillips’s version over survivors’ accounts
Survivors’ Core Concerns
The five survivors who accused Phillips of betrayal share common complaints:
- Inquiry scope being broadened beyond grooming gangs
- Questions about general child sexual exploitation
- Survivors excluded from key meetings
- Concerns dismissed as “misinformation”
- Feeling controlled and manipulated
Phillips’s Track Record
Phillips’s defenders cite her career “fighting for victims and survivors.”
However, her record on the grooming gangs inquiry specifically includes:
- Dismissing survivors’ concerns as “untrue”
- Defending chair candidates survivors rejected
- Presiding over collapse of victims panel
- Calling legitimate worries “misinformation”
“Always Be Listened To”
The claim survivors “will always be listened to” rings hollow when:
- Five have accused Phillips of betrayal
- Four quit the panel feeling unheard
- Phillips publicly contradicted their concerns
- Government maintains “full confidence” in minister despite this
Political Calculation
Starmer’s backing of Phillips despite survivor opposition suggests political considerations trump victim concerns.
Removing Phillips would represent a major political embarrassment, so the government doubles down despite the inquiry’s collapse.
Conservatives Demand Judge
Opposition Conservatives continue demanding the inquiry be chaired by a senior judge rather than representatives of institutions (police, social services) that failed victims.
With both police and social work candidates having withdrawn, the argument for judicial leadership grows stronger.
Six-Week Review Promised
The government has promised a six-week review into what went wrong, though survivors question whether authorities that failed them can credibly investigate their own failures.
Casey to “Support” Inquiry
Starmer announced Dame Louise Casey will “support” the inquiry, though her role remains unclear given there’s no chair for her to support.
Casey’s rapid audit earlier this year found widespread failures in how authorities handle grooming gang exploitation, providing the foundation for the inquiry.
Trust Destroyed
Whatever happens next, the government has destroyed trust with grooming gang survivors who:
- Waited decades for accountability
- Agreed to participate in the inquiry
- Found their concerns dismissed
- Were called liars when they complained
- Watched both chair candidates withdraw
Phillips’s Position Untenable?
With five survivors accusing her of betrayal, one calling her a liar, four quitting the panel, and the entire inquiry in chaos, Phillips’s position appears increasingly untenable.
Yet Starmer’s “full confidence” suggests she’ll remain regardless of survivor opposition.
Fundamental Question
The crisis poses a fundamental question: whose voices matter more – grooming gang survivors with direct experience of the process, or the Safeguarding Minister who dismisses their concerns as “misinformation”?
Starmer’s answer, through his backing of Phillips, is clear.
As Sir Keir Starmer expresses “full confidence” in Jess Phillips despite five grooming gang survivors accusing her of “betrayal” and four quitting the inquiry panel, his decision to prioritise protecting his minister over listening to women who were gang-raped as children sends a devastating message about whose voices actually matter in Labour’s “survivor-centred” inquiry.
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Image Credit:
Keir Starmer in Northern Ireland — photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, licensed under the UK Open Government Licence v3.0. (commons.wikimedia.org)
