Grooming gang chaos as last remaining candidate withdraws from process to lead government inquiry
LBC can exclusively reveal that the only remaining candidate to lead the government's grooming gang Inquiry has now withdrawn from the process
LBC can reveal that the only remaining candidate to lead the government's Grooming Gang Inquiry has officially withdrawn.
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Jim Gamble, a former senior police officer, was one of two prospective candidates to lead the probe.
Mr Gamble, who previously chaired the National Crime Agency's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command, was one of two candidates chosen to lead the Inquiry.
Yesterday it was revealed that social worker Annie Hudson, who previously chaired the government's Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, had stood back from the process.
The revelation piles pressure on the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood who yesterday vowed to continue the Inquiry, insisting the scope "will not change".
Four members of the provisional panel of survivors have already quit, citing concerns that victims of the abuse are being “silenced” by the process.
Recent hours have seen a fourth woman quit the victims and survivors liaison panel, with survivors levelling heavy criticism at the Home Office over their handling of the inquiry.
This morning, Elizabeth, which is not her real name, spoke to LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast about her decision to quit the panel.
Elizabeth told LBC: “Every meeting and every email that we've had is basically just drilling into us that we're not allowed to say anything.”
Meanwhile, Ellie Reynolds, who was the second person to step down from the panel, accused the Home Office of trying to seize “control” over the Inquiry’s scope, adding that other survivors had been “discouraged” from talking to people outside of the panel.
The government, however, insist that survivors’ voices will remain at the heart of the Inquiry, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pledging that it will not be “watered down”.
Mr Gamble’s decision to follow suit therefore means that a new set of candidates will have to be identified, potentially leading to further delays to the Inquiry’s start date.
In response, a Home Office spokesperson said: “The grooming gang scandal was one of the darkest moments in this country’s history.
“That is why this Government is committed to a full, statutory, national inquiry to uncover the truth. It is the very least that the victims of these hideous crimes deserve.
"We are disappointed that candidates to chair that inquiry have withdrawn. This is an extremely sensitive topic, and we have to take the time to appoint the best person suitable for the role.
“The Home Secretary has been clear: there will be no hiding place for those who abused the most vulnerable in our society.”