A group of four abuse survivors are demanding Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips resign in a list of conditions for them to re-join the grooming gangs inquiry.The four women have accused Phillips of “betrayal” over a letter where she described reports the scope of the inquiry could be expanded as “untrue”.They also called for their victim liaison officer to go and, along with Phillips’ exit, said this would mean the government was “serious about accountability”, as well as continuing to call for a judge to chair the inquiry.Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister has said Phillips has the “full backing of the prime minister and home secretary” and will not be asked to go.There has been turmoil over the past week, with Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds quitting the survivors panel in the inquiry on Monday, and two more known as “Elizabeth” and “Jess” following them on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.They all wrote open letters citing similar concerns, around the inquiry being widened beyond grooming gangs, tight controls on what they could say and who they could speak to, and potential inquiry chairs having links to policing and social care, alongside expertise in tackling child abuse.Phillips published a letter on Tuesday warning there was “misinformation” swirling around the inquiry and seeking to “set the record straight”, saying that taking four months to appoint a chair was not unusual for large public inquiries and was not evidence of a “cover up”.However, she also wrote that reports the gove …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnA group of four abuse survivors are demanding Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips resign in a list of conditions for them to re-join the grooming gangs inquiry.The four women have accused Phillips of “betrayal” over a letter where she described reports the scope of the inquiry could be expanded as “untrue”.They also called for their victim liaison officer to go and, along with Phillips’ exit, said this would mean the government was “serious about accountability”, as well as continuing to call for a judge to chair the inquiry.Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister has said Phillips has the “full backing of the prime minister and home secretary” and will not be asked to go.There has been turmoil over the past week, with Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds quitting the survivors panel in the inquiry on Monday, and two more known as “Elizabeth” and “Jess” following them on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.They all wrote open letters citing similar concerns, around the inquiry being widened beyond grooming gangs, tight controls on what they could say and who they could speak to, and potential inquiry chairs having links to policing and social care, alongside expertise in tackling child abuse.Phillips published a letter on Tuesday warning there was “misinformation” swirling around the inquiry and seeking to “set the record straight”, saying that taking four months to appoint a chair was not unusual for large public inquiries and was not evidence of a “cover up”.However, she also wrote that reports the gove …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
