Labour‘s grooming gangs inquiry was ‘collapsing into chaos’ last night.
In a farcical development, a candidate to lead the child sexual abuse review pulled out at a late stage.
Three sex abuse victims have also resigned from an advisory group set up by the inquiry, labelling it a ‘cover-up’ and damning its ‘toxic environment’.
The shambles will be highly embarrassing for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who was forced to set up the review this year.
Just six months earlier he had accused those calling for an inquiry of jumping on a far-Right bandwagon.
Campaigners who urged action over Pakistani child abuse rings were condemned as racist – until the Government’s own troubleshooter Baroness Casey concluded that there were ‘disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds’ among the suspects.
Senior social worker Annie Hudson had been shortlisted to chair the three-year inquiry, which is likely to cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds, but withdrew her name yesterday.
But it came a day after abuse victims Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds resigned from the inquiry’s advisory panel, levelling sharp criticism at the Home Office.
Yesterday a third woman, named only as ‘Elizabeth’ because of anonymity rules applied to sex abuse victims, also said she would no longer take part.
Grooming gang abuse victim Ellie-Ann Reynolds (pictured) resigned from the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel on Monday in protest at how the government had handled the process
Fiona Goddard (pictured), who also suffered at the hands of grooming gangs, also resigned from the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel on Monday
In her resignation letter, Elizabeth said the process felt like ‘a cover-up’ and had ‘created a toxic environment’ for survivors.
And in a further highly damaging development yesterday, Ms Goddard accused safeguarding minister Jess Phillips of misleading MPs about proposals to ‘broaden’ the scope of the inquiry.
Ms Phillips, who is overseeing the setting up of the inquiry, told MPs in a letter to the Commons’ home affairs select committee on Monday that it was ‘untrue’ ministers were seeking to widen its remit.
But yesterday it emerged the victims’ group was sent consultation papers which asked: ‘Should the inquiry have an explicit focus on “grooming gangs”… or take a broader approach?’
Ms Phillips was asked about the move by Ms Goddard last month in text messages, which have also been released.
The extracts, obtained by campaign group Open Justice UK, appeared to contradict the letter sent by Ms Phillips to the Commons’ committee.
Many victims believe widening the inquiry will dilute its focus on the failure of local authorities, police and other officials to tackle grooming by largely Pakistani gangs.
Last night Ms Goddard called on the minister to resign or be fired.
‘Jess Phillips needs to be removed because I don’t think her conduct … this last 24 hours especially, has been acceptable for the position that she holds,’ Ms Goddard told Channel 4 News.
‘She has publicly accused me of lying when she knows I’m telling the truth.’
Earlier, she said: ‘Being dismissed and contradicted by a minister when you’re telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again.’
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Labour’s rape gang inquiry is collapsing into chaos.
‘Survivor Fiona Goddard has directly contradicted what minister Jess Phillips told Parliament – and I have to say I believe Fiona.’
He added: ‘This Labour Government never wanted this inquiry to happen in the first place.
‘Keir Starmer disgracefully smeared those calling for it as jumping on a far-Right band-wagon – which was precisely the kind of language that led to these offences being covered up in the first place.’
The Daily Mail understands there are several candidates left in the race to chair the inquiry, including former senior police officer Jim Gamble.
Earlier this week Ms Reynolds said the ‘final turning point’ which prompted her resignation was ‘the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse’.
Senior social worker Annie Hudson (pictured) had been shortlisted to chair the three-year inquiry, which is likely to cost the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds, but withdrew her name yesterday
She also said the inquiry team had used ‘condescending and controlling language’ towards survivors.
In her resignation letter she also cited a ‘toxic, fearful environment’ and a ‘high risk of people feeling silenced all over again’.
Ms Phillips told the Commons she ‘absolutely regrets’ that survivors had quit their roles but declared: ‘Allegations of intentional delay, lack of interest or widening of the inquiry scope and dilution are false.’
Downing Street said survivors are ‘absolutely at the heart of what we’re doing’.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman denied the inquiry was in crisis, telling reporters: ‘We are working with victims from across the country… to finally get justice.’
Asked whether the inquiry’s remit could be widened the official said: ‘The terms of the inquiry will be established when we’ve appointed a chair.’
The spokesman was unable to say whether any victims remained on the advisory group.
