The government’s grooming gang inquiry has plunged into crisis after Jim Gamble, its expected chair, withdrew, calling it a “toxic political football.” His resignation followed that of four survivor-panel members, who said they would only return if safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigned. Victims accused Phillips of lying to MPs and publicly discrediting survivors to “save her own skin.” Fiona Goddard, a grooming gang survivor, produced evidence contradicting Phillips’s claims about the inquiry’s scope. Senior Conservatives and some Labour MPs have joined calls for her resignation, while children’s minister Josh MacAlister defended her record as a “lifelong advocate for victims.” In an attempt to stabilise the process, Sir Keir Starmer appointed Baroness Casey to advise on rebuilding trust and appointing a new chair, insisting the inquiry “will never be watered down.” Jim Gamble and Annie Hudson both withdrew from the process to be appointed as Chair of the inquiry. Gamble said he withdrew because the process had become politically poisoned, overshadowing the voices of victims the inquiry was meant to serve. Survivors now await leadership they can trust. See