Two survivors of child sexual abuse have expressed concern about the candidates shortlisted to chair the inquiry, one of whom is reportedly a former police chief and the other a social worker, ITV News’ North of England reporter Jonathan Brown explains
Two survivors of child sexual abuse have resigned from their positions in the national grooming gangs inquiry.
Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds resigned from the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel on Monday.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Ms Reynolds said she feared the issue was going to be “brushed under the carpet”.
“The way that they’re watering it down is pretty much going to brush grooming gangs under the carpet again,” she said. “It’s about time that people started making a stand and people started exposing what’s going on in our country.”
In her resignation letter on Monday, Ms Goddard said the process so far had involved “secretive conduct” with instances of “condescending and controlling language” used towards survivors.
She also cited a “toxic, fearful environment” and a “high risk of people feeling silenced all over again”.
Ms Reynolds accused the Home Office of holding meetings without telling survivors and making “decisions we couldn’t question”.
She added: “The final turning point for me was the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse.
“For many of us, these were not incidental factors; they were central to why we were targeted and why institutions failed to act. To erase that truth is to rewrite history.”
Both women have expressed concern about the candidates shortlisted to chair the inquiry, one of whom is reportedly a former police chief and the other a social worker.
Ms Goddard said: “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.”
The government is under increasing pressure to move forward with the probe, first announced by the prime minister in June, including by setting out terms of reference and appointing a chair.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced criticism from the opposition over the resignation on Monday, with Kemi Badenoch telling him to “grow a backbone” and “do everything possible to ensure criminal investigations run in parallel now, across the entire system.”
The Tory leader said: “This is deeply troubling. Many will now suspect Labour is sabotaging the grooming gangs inquiry and deliberately dragging it out beyond the next election.”
The Conservatives argued the probe should be led by a judge who is detached from the institutions they are investigating, as Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused the inquiry of “descending into chaos”.
Asked about the resignations, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the government is “driven by trying to get to the truth and deliver justice for those victims and make sure that this can never happen again”.
He said, “I can assure you, we are absolutely determined to get an inquiry up and running as swiftly as we can, bearing in mind the sensitivities that we have to navigate to make sure we get the right people doing the right job with the right remit.”
Speaking to MPs on Tuesday, Home Office minister Jess Phillips defended the decision not to appoint a judge to lead an inquiry into grooming gangs, saying opinions varied between victims.
She added that the opinions of survivors remained “central” to the inquiry and that it must progress without “delay”.
Phillips described allegations of intentional delay, lack of interest, dilution, or widening of the inquiry scope as false.
Asked specifically about the resignation of two survivors from the inquiry, Phillips said: “I absolutely regret that they have resigned from a process.”
She added it was “always sad when victims feel that they can’t take part in a process” but there are many different views, all of which would be listened to.
Downing Street said the government was working “flat out to get the right chair in place”, with survivors “absolutely at the heart of what we’re doing,” but declined to give “running commentary” on the process.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable.
“Any suggestion that this inquiry is being watered down is completely wrong – we are committed to delivering a robust, thorough inquiry that will get to the truth and provide the answers that survivors have so long campaigned for.”
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