Fifth survivor calls for minister to quit as grooming gang row deepens

Jess Phillips has been asked to step down as the security minister's responsibility in the national investigation into grooming gangs. Carly, not her real name, is one of a group of four abuse victims who have accused Phillips of betrayal after a letter in which she wrote that the scope of the probe might have been expanded as "untrue. Carly told the BBC that she wanted to stay involved in the probe, in comparison to the four survivors who said they would only re-join it if Phillips stood down as a minister, but that she accepted their findings. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he had faith in Phillips to be in charge of initiating the probe.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's national inquiry into child sexual abuse by grooming gangs in England and Wales was announced in June. The PM announced that the probe would have the ability to summon witnesses to be interrogated and led by a panel of survivors, which the BBC reports had at least 20 people at the start. The past week has been tumultuous, with Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds serving on the survivors panel in the inquiry on Monday, and two more well-known as Elizabeth and Jess following them on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. They all wrote open letters, citing common fears regarding the investigation that grew beyond grooming gangs, tighter limits on what they could say and who they should consult with, and potential inquiry chairs with expertise in child abuse. Members of the survivors pane by NWG, the charity that was tasked with organising it on behalf of the government, received an email asking if they wanted to keep the investigation focused on grooming gangs or if it should be widened out, and survivors differed on it. Phillips issued a letter on Tuesday warning that misinformation was swirling around the investigation and aiming to set the record straight and that taking four months to appoint a chair was not unprecedented for large public inquiries and that there was no proof of a

cover up. However, she later wrote that reports that the government is

seeking to dilute the investigation's focusareuntrueand that it will belaser-focused

on grooming gangs. This may have sparked outrage among the four survivors, who claim to have

inadequate concerns regarding the investigation's directionin their letter to the home secretary, butin reaction, your safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips called our accounts untrue.

Being publicly contradicted and dismissed by a government minister when you are a survivor who is telling the truth brings you right back to the feeling of not being believed all the time again.

It's a betrayal that has shattered what little faith has remained.

Now Carly, a Huddersfield, has told the BBC that the new letter is

bang onand that Phillips should go becausehe can't lie about what we all knowabout the investigation's scope.I think maybe the best thing for Jess to do is resign,she said, adding:Maybe the prime minister should come and visit us survivors,

she continued, because you can't really sit around and preach when you haven't actually come and met us.

I think the right thing to do would be to stop arguing in Parliament and come and speak with us and let's all work together.

Survivors were also compelled to sign a confidentiality agreement, which seems to be a gagging tactic to silence them,

Carly said. If Phillips can remain in her role, asked earlier by BBC South East, Sir Keir said:

The most important thing in relation to the grooming gangs is that we have the national investigation, and that certainly gets to the truth and justice.

Yes, of course, I do have faith in him.

Asked if he had faith in the minister, the PM replied:

I do have no doubt. Jess has been researching for many years on topics involving violence against women and girls.

Phillips worked with Women's Aid, assisting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and exploitation before becoming an MP. MacAlister said this showed she was a

lifelong advocate and promoter for young girls who have been abused,adding that she hadalready demonstrated that she is actively involved with the survivors' group. Survivors who are remaining on the committee have also advocated for the way the investigation has been carried out. Samantha Walker-Roberts, a librarian from Oldham, wants the investigation to include victims of other forms of sexual assault, so they are not

silenced. When she was 12 years old, she was part of a grooming group, but a man who groomed her online assaulted and assaulteed a woman who abused her, and as a younger girl she was assaulte and threatened by older men she encountered online. Carly, a student at Huddersfield, said

the most efficient way to spark meaningful change is from withinand thatanyone'sworrieswill result in positive change. Former Northern Irish police chief Jim Gamble ruled himself out of chairing the investigation on Wednesday, saying that victims and survivors alike needed a chair they could all trust, and that, although the panel's majority of those on the panel supported him, it was

clear that a lack of confidence as a result of my previous work exists among others. Mr Gamble, a child violence specialist who supervised the Child Exploitation and Online Safety (CEOP) police operation, said he wished that

my track record of fierce independencewould haveenabled me to continue and hold the organisations and individuals accountable for misconduct. However, he said that a focus on political point-scoring had resulted in a highly charged and toxic environment within the investigation. Mr Gamble said on Thursday that the source of some of this toxicity was social media, where people were stirring the pot from afar. Has she got it right? He told the program that he had faith in Phillips. I don't believe so, but none of us do, but neither of us have.

He also said he had seen no evidence of attempts to dilute the terms of reference for the probe or broaden its scope.

I never got the feeling that they wanted to stay away from the vital research to figure out why racial, ethnicity, and culture is a component of particular gangs' problems. Mr Gamble was one of two candidates for the position of chairing the inquiry who had not been identified. Annie Hudson, the other, who works in social work, also participated this week.

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