Grooming Gangs Inquiry – where do we go next?
Jim Gamble withdraws from Grooming Gang Inquiry
Jim Gamble, a leading candidate to chair the UK’s grooming gang inquiry, has withdrawn from consideration, following the earlier exit of fellow frontrunner Annie Hudson.
The decision of Jim Gamble, a former police officer and child protection advocate, to withdraw from this inquiry is a significant development for the inquiry in a week of significant developments. Survivors are also swiftly resigning from the inquiry’s panel – the current count is four, but the number is rising by the day. One of the survivors who took the decision to quit said she was “deeply shocked” that the two previous candidates for chair had links to the police or social services.
The Home Office has expressed disappointment over the withdrawals but reaffirmed its commitment to appointing a suitable chair and ensuring survivors are central to the process.
Meanwhile, Marlon West, father of a grooming victim, has called for safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to resign, criticising her handling of survivor concerns and urging for family representation in the inquiry panel.
Inquiry in crisis and survivors demand urgent action
This is quickly turning into chaos.
The government has to act now to turn this situation around. The inquiry is floundering before it even got an opportunity to properly get going, and survivors’ confidence in this process will drop off a cliff if an appropriate chair isn’t quickly identified and appointed. A UK or Commonwealth judge could be a strong choice – particularly given the intense media scrutiny this inquiry will be facing.
Most importantly, the inquiry has to be robust, thorough, and work urgently needs to be done to ensure survivors of abuse have confidence in the process. Perception is half the problem – if people don’t have confidence, they won’t engage.
There has been a call for the minister Jess Phillips to resign. The pressure is on for her to do so given she has been seen publicly to lose the trust of survivors. It is difficult to see how the inquiry can be established with her in post and without the support of survivors, whose input is essential for it to work.
