Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds resigned from the inquiry’s Victims and Survivors Panel on Monday. On Tuesday, a third survivor, known as “Elizabeth,” also stepped down, followed by another survivor, “Jess”.
They said the Home Office and ministers were controlling the process and not listening properly to survivors.
All women are understandably upset, hurt and angry that the two people shortlisted to lead the inquiry include a former police chief and a social worker, groups they say failed victims in the past.
Ms Reynolds quite rightly said “It should have been a judge, someone truly independent and unbiased.”
Ms Goddard called the decision a “disturbing conflict of interest” and called it “letting services mark their own homework.”
They also claim survivors were limited to two pre-approved questions when meeting potential inquiry chairs and weren’t allowed to talk to each other about them.
Government denies ‘cover-up’
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has rejected the accusations of a cover-up. She says the government is committed to exposing failures and listening to survivors. She also explained that the panel from which the survivors resigned was run by a charity, not the government.
Phillips denied claims that the inquiry’s scope is being widened to water down the focus on grooming gangs, and she stressed that the inquiry remains focused on exposing these crimes. Downing Street also responded to concerns about the racial and religious aspects of the abuse, noting that victims have historically been let down by prioritising community relations.
Meanwhile, Annie Hudson, one of the shortlisted candidates to lead the inquiry, pulled out after intense media coverage together with Jim Gamble, child protection expert and former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection police command withdrawing from the process. The inquiry is now once again without a confirmed chair.
Survivors deserve to be heard
The women who resigned say the inquiry risks losing sight of what made these crimes so horrific and why authorities ignored them for so long.
Ms Reynolds said attempts to play down the racial and religious motives behind some grooming cases are “rewriting history.”
Elizabeth described the process as “scripted and predetermined” rather than emerging from honest conversation with survivors.
However, some survivors have chosen to stay. Samantha Walker-Roberts and Carly told the BBC they’re remaining on the panel, saying widening the inquiry’s scope could give more victims a voice.
A call for truth
The national inquiry was meant to give survivors the justice they’ve been denied for decades. Now, with key members walking away, many fear it could fail before it even begins.
From my perspective, this is heart-breaking to watch.
When survivors speak, we have a duty to truly listen, not to condense their narrative but to hear all they have to say. They deserve to feel heard, believed, and respected, not pushed aside or made to feel controlled. The government must rebuild trust by showing, through its actions, that this inquiry is about justice, not damage control.
I really hope that the voices of survivors remain at the very heart of this process. They’ve waited far too long for the truth, and they shouldn’t have to fight for it again.
If you’re a survivor of abuse and need confidential support, help is available:
- NAPAC – 0808 801 0331
- The Survivors Trust – 0808 801 0818
- Samaritans – 116 123 (24 hours)
