Four women who resigned from the national grooming gangs inquiry victims liaison panel say they would consider returning if safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigns. In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, they claim Phillips labelled some of their claims as untrue and that they provided evidence to the contrary. Ellie-Ann Reynolds said the turning point came when the remit was changed to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind the abuse.

The four, named as Reynolds, Fiona Goddard, Elizabeth Harper and a signatory known only as Jessica, outline five conditions for their return. They want Phillips’s resignation; all survivors on the panel to be consulted on the appointment of a chair who must be a former or sitting judge; victims to be able to speak freely without fear of reprisal; the inquiry’s remit to stay focused on grooming gangs; and the current victim liaison lead to be replaced by a mental health professional. The letter was shared on Goddard’s X account and includes the line: ‘Being publicly contradicted and dismissed by a government minister when you are a survivor telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again.’

The developments come as the candidate to chair the inquiry withdrew from the process, with former police officer Jim Gamble criticising politicians for prioritising their own issues and for playing games with the inquiry. A former director of children’s services for Lambeth, Annie Hudson, was also reported to have withdrawn. A Home Office spokesperson said they were disappointed that candidates had withdrawn and that they would take time to appoint the best person for the role. In the Commons, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the inquiry would not be watered down and would examine the ethnicity and religion of the offenders, adding that a suitable chair would be found. He also announced Baroness Louise Casey would be drafted in to support the work of the inquiry, following a national audit into group-based child sexual exploitation.