The government’s national inquiry into grooming gangs hit two setbacks on Tuesday 21 October 2025: a third survivor resigned from the victims and survivors liaison panel, and leading prospective chair Annie Hudson withdrew her candidacy. Ministers rejected claims of a “cover‑up” and insisted the process is continuing.
The latest resignation came from “Elizabeth” (a pseudonym), who said the process felt scripted and had created a “toxic environment” for survivors. Her account follows public statements from other panel members alleging a loss of trust in how their input was being used.
On Monday, Fiona Goddard and Ellie‑Ann Reynolds left the panel, citing “secretive conduct” and concerns that the proposed remit could diminish the role of race and religion in certain offending patterns. Both also questioned whether candidates with policing or social work backgrounds could command confidence, given institutional failures identified in previous cases.
Responding in the House of Commons, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said allegations of delay or dilution were false and that the inquiry would remain “laser‑focused” on grooming gangs. She confirmed it is a statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, time‑limited to three years, and will examine safeguarding systems, accountability and intersections with ethnicity, race and culture. Phillips added that the victims’ panel process had been run by the child‑exploitation charity NWG Network, not by the Home Office.
Chair selection remains unresolved. Annie Hudson’s withdrawal leaves other contenders, including former CEOP head Jim Gamble, still in consideration. Phillips told MPs that survivors were meeting prospective chairs on Tuesday, while opposition figures renewed calls for a judge‑led process; the Minister countered that Baroness Casey had advised against a traditional judicial model.
The scope of the inquiry is a live point of contention. Some survivors argue officials are attempting to broaden the focus beyond “grooming gangs” to wider child sexual abuse, which they fear would blunt findings on group‑based exploitation; ministers dispute this. Correspondence reported by GB News shows the NWG‑run panel was asked whether the inquiry should take a broader approach-an account the government says does not amount to dilution.
Governance arrangements are central to confidence in the process. Phillips told MPs she does not choose the panel’s membership and that the liaison panel is independently managed by NWG, while emphasising that victims hold differing views and that her door remains open to those who have stepped away.
Operationally, the inquiry is designed to run alongside national policing work. The Home Office has linked the inquiry to Operation Beaconport, a national effort supported by the TOEX programme, which is expanding investigative tools to all police forces in England and Wales to review historic group‑based exploitation cases.
Comparators also inform the design. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse ran from 2015 until its final report in October 2022; ministers say the new three‑year limit aims to avoid similar delays while retaining statutory powers to compel evidence. Terms of reference will be set with the chair and then consulted on publicly.
Immediate next steps are administrative but important: completing the chair appointment and publishing draft terms for consultation. In the Commons, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the process as “descending into chaos” and pressed again for a judge; ministers insist the appointment is close and the remit will remain tightly defined.