Sir Keir Starmer was scrambling to rescue his grooming gangs inquiry as the only remaining candidate to chair it quit after several survivors lost confidence in the probe.
The Prime Minister was also expected to personally reach out to the four survivors who quit the victims’ panel and on Wednesday. He has also drafted in Baroness Louise Casey to support the establishment of the inquiry, amid calls for Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips to resign over her handling of it.
Ex police-chief Jim Gamble, withdrew from being considered as chair, suggesting “vested interests” were “using and abusing” their position with survivors, which left them “disrespected and misinformed”.
The i Paper understands the Home Office is now scrambling to find a new potential chair and was on Wednesday informally consulting trusted figures on the grooming issue.
Sources said names of potential chairs had been suggested to the department in the process, including new Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman and former child sex abuse inquiry chair Alexis Jay.
Jay is seen as less likely as her inquiry was seen by survivors as failing to have tackled the grooming issue properly.
Survivors to call for a judge to lead the probe
The survivors who quit the probe were on Wednesday expected to respond to the latest developments and reiterate calls for a judge or ex-judge to lead the probe – opposed by Starmer – with Safeguarding Minister Phillips continuing to come under fire.
Fiona Goddard, one of the survivors who walked out, has accused Phillips of calling her a “liar” after the minister disputed allegations the inquiry is being watered down.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions joined calls for Phillips to be sacked, saying the inquiry is about “Labour failure”.
Labour MPs suggested Phillips has mishandled the situation but was likely to keep her job.
One said: “Jess should have love-bombed the survivors and she didn’t enough.
“I think Jess is safe purely because Kemi went in so hard on it and Keir won’t want to lose her because Kemi said so.
“Some people are saying [Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims] Alex Davies-Jones should take over. I doubt it’ll happen but there’s no doubt this has been a cock-up.”
Casey’s role ‘bigger than suggested’
A source close to the inquiry said Casey’s new role in helping to set up the probe was bigger than No 10 had suggested, and she is believed to command the confidence of survivors.
“She wrote the whole damn report,” the source said, insisting neither Casey nor Phillips would have a role in choosing its chair. “It’s entirely up to the survivors,” they added.
It came as Gamble hit out at politicians prioritising “their own petty personal or political issues” and “playing games” with the inquiry, saying his anger was mainly directed at “opposing parties” because “the current Government are trying to do this”.
Asked why he stepped back, Jim Gamble told Sky News: “I think the growing level of toxicity and the fact that in the midst of lots of misinformation, I think many of the victims and survivors were being disrespected and misinformed, and have a genuine feeling that some of that was about people using and abusing their position and influence with them.”
He accused people of “scaremongering” as he denied ever having come under pressure to change the scope of the probe.
He follows Annie Hudson, a former director of children’s services for Lambeth who was reported to have withdrawn on Tuesday, and leaves the Government looking for alternative candidates.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that candidates to chair that inquiry have withdrawn. This is an extremely sensitive topic, and we have to take the time to appoint the best person suitable for the role.”
Four quit victims’ panel
The withdrawals follow the resignation of four women from the inquiry’s victims and survivors panel, citing concerns that the individuals being considered to chair the probe had connections to the police or social services.
They also cited a “toxic environment” and proposals to widen the scope of the inquiry.
Starmer insisted the inquiry “is not and will never be watered down” and its scope “will not change”.
He said: “It will examine the ethnicity and religion of the offenders, and we will find the right person to chair the inquiry.”
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The Prime Minister also opposed using a judge to chair the probe, despite calls from survivors, arguing it would slow down progress as the inquiry would not be able to get under way until criminal proceedings had ended, arguing that this is what Casey had previously recommended.
He also defended Phillips saying: Sir Keir also defended Ms Phillips, saying: “I respect the views of all the survivors, and there are different views, I accept that.
“The safeguarding minister, I think, has probably more experience than any other person in this House in dealing with violence against women and girls.
“Alongside her will be Louise Casey. These two individuals have spent decades standing up for those who have been abused and sexually exploited, and I absolutely think they’re the right people to take this forward.”
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