Two survivors have resigned from the oversight panel of Sir Keir Starmer’s national grooming gang inquiry, accusing the Home Office and Labour of “contempt” and “political interference”. Ellie-Ann Reynolds and Fiona Goddard stepped down on Monday, criticising the handling of the inquiry before a chair has even been appointed.
Reynolds, from Barrow, said the Home Office held meetings survivors were not told about, made decisions they could not question, and withheld information. Goddard, who was abused in a Bradford children’s home, raised concerns about conflicts of interest among those involved, particularly the potential appointment of a former police officer or social worker as chair – services she accused of covering up child rape and trafficking.
The inquiry’s terms are still being debated by a panel of stakeholders, four months after the prime minister set it up under pressure. Survivors have objected to demands by Tracy Brabin, the Labour mayor of West Yorkshire, to expand the inquiry to cover the entire region, fearing it will water down the investigation and delay justice. Brabin and her deputy, Alison Lowe, lobbied Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in September for a region-wide inquiry.
Goddard wrote in her resignation email that expanding the scope risks “turning into another IICSA [Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse], with grooming gang victims forgotten”. The IICSA, led by Professor Alexis Jay, took seven years to conclude. Lowe defended the calls for a wider inquiry, saying evidence shows the crime is not confined to one part of the region and that their actions are guided by survivors.
Two prospective chairs, former deputy chief constable Jim Gamble and child safeguarding review panel chair Annie Hudson, are due to meet the panel on Tuesday. Gamble has been approached for comment, while Hudson declined. Lawyer Richard Scorer, who represents about 30 grooming gang victims, has not yet commented.
