Second Potential Chair Withdraws Amid Growing Controversy
The UK’s national inquiry into grooming gangs has encountered significant setbacks as a second potential chair has withdrawn from consideration, intensifying questions about the probe’s direction and leadership.
Latest Developments
Former police officer Jim Gamble became the second candidate to step away from chairing the inquiry, citing a “highly charged and toxic environment” surrounding the appointment process. Annie Hudson, a former director of children’s services for Lambeth, had previously withdrawn from consideration.
Gamble explained his decision in a letter to the Home Secretary, stating that while a majority of survivors he spoke with supported his appointment, some lacked confidence due to his former role in policing. He emphasized his commitment to only proceed if he had the trust of victims and survivors.
“The reaction to the appointment process has been defined more by the vested interests of some, as well as political opportunism and point-scoring, rather than by the cross-party consensus required to address such a serious national issue,” Gamble wrote.
Government Response
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has brought in Baroness Casey to help salvage the inquiry. Lady Casey previously led a national audit of group-based child sexual exploitation that identified instances where organizations avoided discussing ethnicity or cultural factors in such offenses due to concerns about appearing racist.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood issued a late-night statement reassuring the public of her commitment to the inquiry, insisting it “will not change” and “is not, and will never be, watered down.”
Controversy Over Inquiry Scope
The crisis deepened following disputes between safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and survivors about whether the government attempted to broaden the inquiry’s focus.
Phillips sent a letter to the Commons home affairs select committee stating it was “untrue” that ministers sought to widen the inquiry remit. However, survivor Fiona Goddard directly contradicted this claim, revealing that the victims’ group received consultation papers asking whether the inquiry should focus explicitly on grooming gangs or take a broader approach.
Text messages between Goddard and Phillips from last month appeared to support Goddard’s account, leading her to call for the minister’s resignation.
Survivors’ Response
Four members of the inquiry’s victims’ liaison panel have now resigned. Goddard stated: “Jess Phillips needs to be removed because I don’t think her conduct during this has been acceptable for the position that she holds.”
Many survivors fear that widening the inquiry will dilute its focus on how local authorities, police, and officials failed to tackle grooming predominantly carried out by Pakistani gangs.
One survivor who resigned said the situation “feels like a cover-up of a cover-up,” while another expressed shock that potential chairs included a former police officer and social worker, representing “professions that failed all of us.”
Political Clash
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Starmer on whether Phillips retained his confidence, noting that survivors who waived their anonymity believe the minister has lied to them.
Starmer defended Phillips, stating she has “probably more experience than any other person in this House in dealing with violence against women and girls.” He argued that alongside Baroness Casey, they were “the right people to take this forward.”
The Prime Minister insisted the inquiry would examine “the ethnicity and religion of the offenders” and would not be watered down, while criticizing the previous Conservative government for failing to adequately address the issue during their 14 years in office.
Current Status
The Home Office continues searching for an appropriate chair for the inquiry, with officials stating they need “to take the time to appoint the best person suitable for the role.”
Cabinet minister Emma Reynolds acknowledged that trust must be “rebuilt” with victims as the government works to establish the inquiry on firm footing.
The probe was ordered following Lady Casey’s findings published in June 2025, which highlighted systemic failures in addressing group-based child sexual exploitation across the UK.
