Fresh humiliation for Keir Starmer as grooming gangs probe plunged into fresh chaos

Keir Starmer's grooming gangs inquiry was plunged into chaos after a survivor quit over fears it will fail victims. Fiona Goddard, who was one of two teenage girls targeted by a gang of nine depraved sex monsters who used drink, drugs and violence to groom and sexually exploit them, slammed "condescending and controlling language used towards survivors".

In a bombshell resignation letter, she also warned of "serious concerns around certain members" of the survivors' panel, which advises the Home Office on the inquiry.

Ms Goddard expressed concern about the shortlisted chairs for the inquiry, former police chief Jim Gamble and social worker Annie Hudson, declaring it would "once again be letting services mark their own homework".

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "We're told the inquiry may not even be chaired by a judge at all. Almost all inquiries of national importance - Grenfell, Post Office, Infected Blood - have been led by senior members of the judiciary. Why is this not case for the rape gang scandal? Does the government consider it less worthy?"

Ms Goddard, in her scathing resignation letter, said: "Having a police officer or social worker leading the inquiry would once again be letting services mark their own homework, the shortlisting of these potential chairs shows the Government's complete lack of understanding of the level of corruption and failings involved in this scandal.

"This is a disturbing conflict of interest, and I fear the lack of trust in services from years of failings and corruption will have a negative impact in survivor engagement with this inquiry."

Ms Goddard, who has campaigned for other victims, also questioned why some members of the panel want to expand the inquiry's scope.

She said: "Expanding the scope of this inquiry risks it being watered down and once again, failing to get to the truth. We have repeatedly faced suggestions from officials to expand this inquiry, and there is real fear from survivors, including myself, that it will turn into another IICSA (independent inquiry into child sexual abuse), with grooming gang victims forgotten," she said.

"I'm further concerned by the condescending and controlling language used towards survivors throughout this process who have had to fight every day just to be believed, and I think they deserve more respect than they have received."

Mr Jenrick added: "A senior judge with deep experience of criminal and family cases, is best placed to interrogate the evidence and extract answers that are not forthcoming.

"The evidence will inevitably challenge the integrity of the police and social services at the highest levels, who repeatedly failed the victims and then covered their tracks.

"Yet the two contenders to lead the inquiry have backgrounds in both services. That's why a rape gang survivor has resigned from the taskforce, citing "disturbing conflicts of interests".

"Keir Starmer dragged his feet before setting up this inquiry and this latest development suggests that once again he is just not serious about delivering answers the victims so desperately deserve."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "Victims and survivors have been betrayed over and over again. First by the authorities who ignored them, and now by a government that's watering down its own inquiry before it's even begun.

"Survivors will never get justice from the same institutions that failed them in the before. This inquiry must be led by a sitting or recently retired senior judge, not ex-police officers or social workers marking their own homework.

"The Conservatives are demanding a full, statutory, judge-led inquiry into the rape gangs and the cover-ups that protected them. Every official, police officer, and councillor who enabled these crimes must face prosecution for misconduct in public office. No more delays, no more excuses, no more cover up."

Terms of the statutory investigation are still being discussed by the panel of stakeholders including survivors of abuse rings, four months after the prime minister bowed to pressure and set it up.

In her 200-page report, Baroness Dame Louise Casey accused officials of being in "denial" about the scale of the grooming gangs problem and said lessons had not been learnt from crimes committed in Rotherham a decade ago.

It disclosed that asylum seekers and foreign nationals have been involved in a "significant proportion" of live police investigations.

An entire chapter of the Casey Review was labelled "Denial" and told how public bodies used "flawed data" to dismiss claims about "Asian grooming gangs as sensationalised, biased or untrue".

Officials feared being called racist if they spoke out against Asian or Pakistani grooming gangs.

And she admitted "victims and survivors are really angry that things haven't changed".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. Any suggestion that this inquiry is being watered down is completely wrong - we are committed to delivering a robust, thorough inquiry that will get to the truth and provide the answers that survivors have so long campaigned for.

"We are working urgently to appoint the best chair to take forward this work and deliver justice, putting victims and survivors at the heart of the process.

"We are grateful to all those who have shared their insights with us. We share the concerns around unhelpful speculation while this process is live - which is why we will not be providing a running commentary."