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The four women who have resigned Inquiry into national grooming gangs Victim Contact Panel has called Security Minister Jess Phillips to resign, as The investigation is facing increasing turmoil.
in a letter to home SecretaryHe accused Ms Phillips of labeling some of his claims as “untrue”, saying she had provided evidence to the contrary.
One of the four, Ellie-Ann Reynolds, said the final turning point for her was “the push to change the remit, to broaden it in ways that minimize the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse”.
Ms Phillips told MPs on Tuesday that “allegations of deliberate delay, lack of interest or widening and undermining of the investigation are false”.
However, in their letter to Shabana Mahmood, the four victims say that “the evidence has proven that we were telling the truth”.
The investigation became more chaotic on Wednesday afternoon when a second candidate stood to become Speaker check, Jim Gamble – considered the only remaining candidate – withdrew after survivors raised concerns that he had ties to the police.
He follows Anne Hudson, the former director of children’s services for Lambeth, who was reported to have withdrawn her name on Tuesday, leaving the government looking for alternative candidates.
Ms Reynolds, Fiona Goddard, Elizabeth Harper and a woman signed only as “Jessica” said in the letter that they must meet five conditions to return to the advisory panel.
As well as Ms Phillips’s resignation, she called for “all survivors of the panel to be genuinely consulted on the appointment of a chairperson, who must be a former or current judge”, for victims to be able to speak freely without fear of retribution, and for the scope of the investigation to remain “laser-focused”. grooming gangs And the current victim contact lead will be replaced by a mental health professional.
But Children’s Minister Josh McAllister told Sky News that Ms Phillips had the “full support of the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary”, insisting she would remain in post.
Ms Phillips is a “lifelong advocate and champion for young girls who are victims of abuse”, she said, adding that she has “already shown that she is engaging appropriately with the survivor community”.
Sir keir starmer On Wednesday Tory leader Kemi Badenoch threw her support behind Ms Phillips at Prime Minister’s Questions after claiming she had “lost the trust” of victims.
The PM said his security minister has “more experience than anyone else in this House in dealing with violence against women and girls”.
“She will be joined by Louise Casey, both of these men have spent decades standing up for people who have been abused and sexually exploited, and I absolutely think they are the right people to take this forward,” she told the Commons.
Mr McAllister also refused to guarantee that the inquiry would be headed by a sitting judge “because we want to bring in the right person”, but he vowed that the scope of the inquiry would not be expanded.
He said, “Baroness Jay herself, for whom many survivors have tremendous respect, was a social worker. Louise Casey herself was not a judge. She has great self-confidence.”
Sir keir starmer previously announced that he was drafting in Baroness Casey To “support” the work of the struggling inquiry after four women resigned from the inquiry’s victims and survivors panel.
The letter from survivors, shared on Ms Goddard’s
“This is a betrayal that has destroyed what little trust was left.
“We have been failed by every institution meant to protect us. We were failed as children, we were failed by police who didn’t believe us, we were failed by social services who blamed us, and failed by the system that protected those who abused us.
“We will not participate in an investigation that repeats the same patterns of dismissal, secrecy and institutional self-protection.”
Mr Gamble, a former police officer, attacked politicians for prioritizing “their own small personal or political issues” and “playing games” with the investigation.
In his withdrawal letter, he said he had pulled out of the appointment process due to “lack of trust” among some survivors of the grooming gang “due to my previous occupation”.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the candidates to chair that inquiry have withdrawn their names. This is an extremely sensitive subject, and we need to take time to appoint the best suited person for the role.”