Minister called a 'liar' as third survivor quits grooming gangs inquiry

The government's nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs has been accused of "descending into chaos", with Home Office curate Jess Phillips being called a "liar" for disputing allegations that the enquiry is being diluted. 

It comes aft 3 survivors resigned from the inquiry's liaison panel, portion a frontrunner to seat it has besides pulled retired of the process.

Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds, 2 salient survivors, resigned from the panel implicit the past 48 hours, expressing concerns astir however the process was being handled.

A third, who goes by the sanction of Elizabeth - which is not her existent sanction - followed this afternoon.

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Some of their fears centred astir the perceived imaginable of the enquiry being diluted by broadening its scope beyond group-based intersexual abuse, and pushes for it to person a determination absorption alternatively than it being genuinely national.

Ms Phillips, the Home Office minister, said this was "untrue".

Ms Goddard responded to say: "This is simply a lie."

Fiona Goddard's resignation letter, which Sky News published extracts from connected Monday, cited a "toxic, fearful environment" and "condescending and controlling language" utilized towards survivors.

Ms Goddard besides expressed heavy reservations astir the shortlisted chairs for the inquiry. Her resignation came aft Sky News revealed the 2 starring candidates were erstwhile constabulary main Jim Gamble and societal idiosyncratic Annie Hudson, who were owed to conscionable the survivors sheet connected Tuesday, earlier Ms Hudson withdrew from the running.

Some survivors expressed interest that the 2 candidates' backgrounds successful policing and societal enactment mightiness pb to conflicts of interest.