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The search for a new chair of the United Kingdom’s national inquiry into grooming gangs is expected to take months, after both leading candidates withdrew and the survivors’ panel was left divided over whether the minister in charge should resign.
Sources told the BBC that ministers will “move as fast as possible” but expect a lengthy process as they try to “re-engage with the victims and survivors” before appointing a new chair.
The turmoil follows the collapse of the process after two prominent figures — former Lambeth children’s services director Annie Hudson and ex-CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, part of the National Crime Agency) chief Jim Gamble — both ruled themselves out.
Mr Gamble said political “point-scoring” had created a “highly charged and toxic environment”, making the inquiry impossible to lead impartially.
The government is now said to be “determined” to keep Jess Phillips, the Safeguarding Minister, in her post despite growing anger from survivors.
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Four members of the inquiry’s survivors’ panel quit earlier this week, accusing Ms Phillips of “betrayal” after she dismissed reports, based on concerns by some of them, that the inquiry’s scope might be widened. They have demanded her resignation before agreeing to return.
But a second group of survivors, led by Samantha Walker-Roberts, has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood backing Ms Phillips, praising her “consistency” and “commitment” to supporting victims.
The BBC also revealed that there were originally around 30 members on the survivors’ panel — far more than had previously been reported — suggesting that frustration and anger, while serious, may not have been universal across the group.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (October 22, 2025), Starmer said the inquiry “is not and will never be watered down”, insisting that it will examine “the ethnicity and religion of the offenders” and pledging to “get this right”.
But the split among survivors — and the exodus of senior candidates to lead the inquiry — have left the process paralysed.
Both those who want Ms Phillips removed and those who want her to stay seem to agree on one thing: they no longer trust the government to manage the process fairly.
Meanwhile, Reform UK has seized on the chaos, with party leader Nigel Farage calling the inquiry “broken beyond repair” and demanding that Parliament itself conduct a cross-party investigation instead.
Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries, now with Reform UK, told the BBC’s Question Time that the inquiry “was never going to work”.
The inquiry was announced in June by Starmer, as a national investigation into the sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs in England and Wales.
It was intended to compel witnesses, hear evidence from survivors, and examine potential cultural and institutional failings that had allowed abuse to go unchecked.
Now, with no chair, a divided panel, and open political rows over who controls the process, that mission appears further away than ever.
If ministers want to widen the inquiry’s scope to include new issues, critics may ask: are they doing it to avoid examining the failures that allowed child exploitation to flourish in the first place?
For survivors who have already endured betrayal by police, councils and politicians, another delay may be just one more broken promise.
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Grooming gang survivors divide as search begins for new inquiry chair
Share this post:
The search for a new chair of the United Kingdom’s national inquiry into grooming gangs is expected to take months, after both leading candidates withdrew and the survivors’ panel was left divided over whether the minister in charge should resign.
Sources told the BBC that ministers will “move as fast as possible” but expect a lengthy process as they try to “re-engage with the victims and survivors” before appointing a new chair.
The turmoil follows the collapse of the process after two prominent figures — former Lambeth children’s services director Annie Hudson and ex-CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, part of the National Crime Agency) chief Jim Gamble — both ruled themselves out.
Mr Gamble said political “point-scoring” had created a “highly charged and toxic environment”, making the inquiry impossible to lead impartially.
The government is now said to be “determined” to keep Jess Phillips, the Safeguarding Minister, in her post despite growing anger from survivors.
Four members of the inquiry’s survivors’ panel quit earlier this week, accusing Ms Phillips of “betrayal” after she dismissed reports, based on concerns by some of them, that the inquiry’s scope might be widened. They have demanded her resignation before agreeing to return.
But a second group of survivors, led by Samantha Walker-Roberts, has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood backing Ms Phillips, praising her “consistency” and “commitment” to supporting victims.
The BBC also revealed that there were originally around 30 members on the survivors’ panel — far more than had previously been reported — suggesting that frustration and anger, while serious, may not have been universal across the group.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (October 22, 2025), Starmer said the inquiry “is not and will never be watered down”, insisting that it will examine “the ethnicity and religion of the offenders” and pledging to “get this right”.
But the split among survivors — and the exodus of senior candidates to lead the inquiry — have left the process paralysed.
Both those who want Ms Phillips removed and those who want her to stay seem to agree on one thing: they no longer trust the government to manage the process fairly.
Meanwhile, Reform UK has seized on the chaos, with party leader Nigel Farage calling the inquiry “broken beyond repair” and demanding that Parliament itself conduct a cross-party investigation instead.
Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries, now with Reform UK, told the BBC’s Question Time that the inquiry “was never going to work”.
The inquiry was announced in June by Starmer, as a national investigation into the sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs in England and Wales.
It was intended to compel witnesses, hear evidence from survivors, and examine potential cultural and institutional failings that had allowed abuse to go unchecked.
Now, with no chair, a divided panel, and open political rows over who controls the process, that mission appears further away than ever.
If ministers want to widen the inquiry’s scope to include new issues, critics may ask: are they doing it to avoid examining the failures that allowed child exploitation to flourish in the first place?
For survivors who have already endured betrayal by police, councils and politicians, another delay may be just one more broken promise.
Support Vox Political!
With social media algorithms acting as gatekeepers – allowing users to read only what their owners want them to, sites like Vox Political need the support of our readers like never before.
You can help by making a donation:
https://Ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
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