Finding chair for grooming gangs inquiry could take months – Government source

It could take “months” to find a chair for the national grooming gangs inquiry, a Government source has said.

There are no candidates left in the running after former police officer Jim Gamble and Annie Hudson, a former director of children’s services for Lambeth, both withdrew.

The Government is taking urgent steps to find new candidates after the exit of “leading” option Mr Gamble, the source said.

But ministers will “take the time, likely months”, to appoint the right chair.

The inquiry has been thrown into disarray after the loss of the two candidates to chair the probe, as well as the departure of five women from the victims liaison panel.

Four of the women who quit have said they would be prepared to return if safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigns, while five of those still on the advisory panel have said they would only stay if she remains in post.

The five backing Ms Phillips said in a letter to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood that her retaining her role is one of the conditions for their continued participation.

They wrote that the minister has “remained impartial” and “we want her to remain in position for the duration of the process for consistency”.

They said they had asked for the scope to be larger than grooming gangs because some survivors would be excluded for not fitting the “generalised stereotype” of what that includes.

Sir Keir Starmer has said he “of course” has faith in Ms Phillips, as other ministers also rallied around her.

It came after four of those who quit the panel – Ellie-Ann Reynolds, Fiona Goddard, Elizabeth Harper and a woman signed only as “Jessica” – sent a letter with conditions that must be met for them to return.

Those include Ms Phillips standing down, for the inquiry to be “laser-focused” on grooming gangs, and for its chair to be a former or sitting judge.

They criticised Ms Phillips for labelling some of their claims about the scope of the inquiry being widened “untrue”, and said they had provided evidence to the contrary.

There were originally some 30 survivors on the panel.

The Government will now re-engage with survivors to listen to their concerns and take their opinions on who they want to lead the inquiry, according to the source.

Baroness Louise Casey, who has been drafted in to support the work of the probe, will work closely with the Government on finding a new field of candidates for chair.

Mr Gamble said he had pulled out of the appointment process because of a “lack of confidence” in him among some survivors because of his police background.

He also hit out at politicians “playing games” with the inquiry and said victims had been “disrespected and misinformed”.