PM has 'confidence' in Jess Phillips after grooming survivors demanded her resignation

Sir Keir Starmer has backed his under-fire safeguarding curate to proceed starring the government's efforts to acceptable up a nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs aft 4 survivors demanded her resignation.

The premier curate said connected Thursday that Jess Phillips has "devoted immense parts of her beingness and career" to tackling unit against women and girls, and has "confidence successful her", contempt the turmoil that has beset the process.

All 4 survivors who discontinue the government's grooming gangs enquiry sheet said they volition see returning to the process if Ms Phillips resigns.

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In effect to the demand, Sir Keir said: "The safeguarding curate has immense acquisition successful issues relating to unit against women and girls. She's devoted immense parts of her beingness and vocation to that, and truthful I bash person assurance successful her and Louise Casey successful starring this project."

Speaking to ITV Meridian, the premier curate besides sought to reassure the victims of grooming, saying: "It's truly important that the nationalist enquiry gets to the truth. All survivors merit answers to their questions."

"It is precise important that I accidental to each survivors that I springiness my idiosyncratic assurance that this enquiry volition spell wherever it needs to go, the scope volition not beryllium changed."

It is understood that Downing Street has reached retired to the 4 survivors who discontinue the government's process this week.

Why person they discontinue the process?

The 4 women who resigned this week expressed concerns astir however the process of selecting a seat and mounting the presumption of notation of the nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs is being run.

They wrote connected Wednesday to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, calling for Ms Phillips to measurement down and each survivors to beryllium consulted connected appointing a elder justice arsenic seat with nary large conflicts of interest.

Ms Phillips told parliament connected Tuesday that suggestions that the scope of the enquiry was to beryllium expanded from conscionable grooming gangs were "categorically untrue".

But leaked consultation documents and texts betwixt the safeguarding curate and subsister Fiona Goddard amusement the survivors' concerns that the scope would beryllium expanded were valid.

The survivors' missive says: "Being publically contradicted and dismissed by a authorities curate erstwhile you are a subsister telling the information takes you close backmost to that feeling of not being believed each implicit again.

"It is simply a betrayal that has destroyed what small spot remained."

They person demanded that the scope of the enquiry stay "laser-focused" connected grooming gangs and called for victims to beryllium escaped to talk to enactment networks without fearfulness of reprisal.

The missive to Ms Mahmood says: "Her [Ms Phillips'] behaviour implicit the past week has shown she is unfit to oversee a process that requires survivors to spot the government. Her departure would awesome you are superior astir accountability and changing direction."

The survivors picture their demands arsenic "the implicit bare minimum for survivors to spot that this enquiry volition beryllium antithetic from each different process that has fto america down".

Frontrunner quits implicit 'toxicity'

The missive was sent hours aft 1 of the frontrunners to go seat of the enquiry withdrew, blaming "vested interests" and "political opportunism and point-scoring".

Ex-police main and kid extortion specializer Jim Gamble told the location caput successful a missive determination was a "highly charged and toxic environment" astir the assignment process and victims "deserve better".

The other, Annie Hudson, a erstwhile societal worker, said earlier this week she nary longer wanted to beryllium considered aft aggravated media coverage.

The premier curate launched the enquiry into grooming gangs aft an audit by Baroness Louise Casey showed the standard of the problem.

It is understood that the authorities is exploring a scope of different candidates and volition supply an update successful owed course.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The grooming pack ungraded was 1 of the darkest moments successful this country's history.

"That is wherefore this authorities is committed to a full, statutory, nationalist enquiry to uncover the truth. It is the precise slightest that the victims of these hideous crimes deserve.

"We are disappointed that candidates to seat that enquiry person withdrawn. This is an highly delicate topic, and we person to instrumentality the clip to name the champion idiosyncratic suitable for the role.

"The location caput has been wide - determination volition beryllium nary hiding spot for those who abused the astir susceptible successful our society."