Highlights:
- Starmer says the grooming gang inquiry will not be “watered down”
- The prime minister confirmed Dame Louise Casey will work with the inquiry
- Four survivors have quit the panel, raising concerns over its remit
- The inquiry is still finalising its terms and chair
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has said the national grooming gang inquiry will not be “watered down” and will examine racial and religious motives, after a fourth survivor quit the panel.
He was questioned at Prime Minister’s Questions by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who said survivors feared the inquiry was being diluted and their voices silenced.
Quoting survivors, Badenoch said they believed it would “downplay the racial and religious motivations behind their abuse” and asked: “Aren’t the victims right when they call it a cover-up?”
Starmer said survivors had been ignored for many years and that “injustice will have no place to hide.”
He confirmed Dame Louise Casey, whose report recommended a statutory inquiry, would now be working with it. He invited those who had quit to rejoin, adding: “We owe it to them to answer their concerns.”
Jess, not her real name, became the fourth survivor to step down, joining Fiona Goddard, Ellie Reynolds and Elizabeth. Her lawyer Amy Clowrey confirmed her resignation.
Another survivor, Samantha Walker-Roberts, told the BBC she would stay on the panel and wanted the inquiry’s remit widened beyond grooming.
The inquiry, announced in June, is still finalising its terms and chair.
One potential chair, Annie Hudson, withdrew earlier this week over conflict of interest concerns linked to her social work background, while another nominee, former police chief and child abuse expert Jim Gamble, met survivors on Tuesday.
