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Grooming gang victims who quit the inquiry have hit back at a joint letter sent to them by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, accusing him of 'making a mockery' of survivors. Fiona Goddard and Elizabeth Harper were among the four women who left the national probe's victim and survivors liaison panel this week. They, with Ellie-Ann Reynolds and a woman known as 'Jessica', did so amid concerns the government is trying to widen the scope of the inquiry and water it down. Many victims believe broadening the inquiry will dilute its focus on the failure of local authorities, police and other officials to tackle grooming by largely Pakistani gangs. Ms Reynolds said her exit came after 'the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse'. The group has now received a personal letter from the Prime Minister thanking them for their participation and assuring them their concerns will be listened to. He stressed: 'We know that in some areas these crimes were disproportionately committed by Asian men, and I assure you that the inquiry will look explicitly at that.' But two of the four women addressed have denounced his letter, taking to X today to share the document and express their anger about it. Ms Goddard wrote on the social media platform: 'So the prime minister was meant to be reaching out "personally" and instead we got a s****y generated letter sent out to everyone, addressing not a single concern or issue. 'One that he's probably not even wrote. Clearly us grooming gang victims aren't important enough for him to put a bit of time and effort in.' Meanwhile, Ms Harper wrote: 'Letter off Keir Starmer, no sign of doing the right thing - just the same old same old. 'Making a mockery of survivors and saying things he always does. Action is needed, not half-hearted words.' Sir Keir's letter, which was sent on Friday, was also sent to their fellow departing panellists, Ellie-Ann Reynolds and a woman who goes by the name 'Jessica'. The PM wrote that he wanted to get in touch 'directly' to thank them for their support in setting up the national inquiry. He added, signing off the letter personally, he also wished to make a 'personal commitment' to 'getting this inquiry right'. 'The heinous crimes committed against you - and many others - by violent and depraved gangs were truly appalling,' the premier said. 'You were also let down catastrophically by the institutions that should have protected you, and they must be held accountable. 'We are determined that survivors must be at the heart of this inquiry, and we do not underestimate the bravery you have shown by reliving those ordeals.' Sir Keir concluded: 'I understand your decision to leave the panel will not have been taken lightly but the door will always be open should you wish to return.' A Government spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'The grooming gang scandal is one of the darkest moments in this country’s history. 'That is why this Government is committed to a full, statutory, national inquiry to uncover the truth. It is the very least that the victims of these hideous crimes deserve. 'The Prime Minister has written to the victims and survivors in the consultation group, including those who have withdrawn, to thank them for their engagement so far. 'He has made clear that survivors are at the heart of this inquiry, and as he said in Parliament, it will uncover the truth and injustice will have no place to hide.' Many survivors believe the national inquiry must have a tight focus on the issue of grooming gangs. Ms Goddard recently raised concerns about this in a text conversation with Jess Phillips, the parliamentary under-secretary for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, who is in charge of setting up the inquiry. The NWG Network charity, which is running victims' liaison for the inquiry, had sent a list of 'questions for reflection' to panellists ahead of a meeting. One of them asked: 'Should the inquiry have an explicit focus on "grooming gangs" or "group-based CSEA" (Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) or take a broader approach?' Ms Goddard has said she texted Ms Phillips directly about the topic for discussion on September 26. She said: 'Sorry to message again but if it's supposed to be about grooming gangs why has the charity that the Home Office has set up to consult with survivors just sent out the agenda for the questions that are going to be asked.' She then sent the safeguarding minister the question about the focus of the inquiry. The survivor then said: 'Every which way this is being manipulated away from what it was supposed to be and it's unfair.' The Labour MP replied: 'The reason for the question is because there have been differing views and we want you to be able to give a clear steer on what you want. 'I know it's hard to trust but I can promise you no one is trying to manipulate the response and it is my view that it is only a grooming gangs specific inquiry but it is not right for me to make that decision without it being formally consulted on.' Ms Goddard has since shared the text conversation and the question posed by NWG on social media. Her subsequent departure from the panel on Monday came alongside claims the inquiry was being watered down. Similarly, Ms Reynolds, who left on the same day, wrote in her resignation letter: 'The final turning point for me was the push to change the remit, to widen it in ways that downplay the racial and religious motivations behind our abuse. 'For many of us, these were not incidental factors; they were central to why we were targeted and why institutions failed to act. To erase that truth us to rewrite history.' But Ms Phillips later came out to call claims the inquiry was being watered down 'untrue', in a letter to Commons Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Karen Bradley. In the correspondence sent on the same day as Ms Goddard and Ms Reynolds's departures, the minister denied the government was 'seeking to dilute the focus of the inquiry', insisting its scope will be 'laser-focused'. The group of women who quit the inquiry then called for the Home Office minister to resign, claiming she accused them of lying. And Ms Goddard's solicitors Switalskis wrote to her on Friday threatening to sue the MP for Birmingham Yardley for libel. They said the suggestion of watering down was 'patently not untrue' and that Ms Phillips's letter was 'defamatory' as it suggested their client had been untruthful. The lawyers also referred to the text conversation between Ms Goddard and Ms Phillips about the focus of the inquiry. Ms Goddard said she had been 'abused and smeared online' as a result of Ms Phillips's statement. The solicitors concluded: 'Ms Goddard will accept a written apology from Ms Phillips to put an end to this matter.' The Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley has found herself at the centre of a row over the grooming gangs inquiry. The controversy has also seen the two candidates to chair the probe withdraw from contention. While some survivors, including Ms Goddard, have called for Ms Phillips to quit, a separate group of five said this week they would only keep working with the inquiry with her in post. They said the minister has 'remained impartial' and 'we want her to remain in position for the duration of the process for consistency'. They explained they asked for the scope to go beyond grooming gangs because some survivors would be excluded for not fitting the 'generalised stereotype' of what that includes. In the Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted the inquiry 'is not and will never be watered down' and its scope 'will not change'. He said at PMQs: 'It will examine the ethnicity and religion of the offenders, and we will find the right person to chair the inquiry.' He also vowed 'injustice will have no place to hide' as he announced Baroness Louise Casey is being drafted in to support the inquiry. She previously led a 'national audit' of group-based child sexual exploitation that found 'many examples' of organisations shying away from discussion of 'ethnicity or cultural factors' in such offences 'for fear of appearing racist'. Her findings, published in June this year, prompted Sir Keir to order the creation of the national inquiry. The PM also said this week he 'of course' has faith in Ms Phillips, as other ministers also rallied around her. Asked during a visit on Friday if he had confidence in her to oversee the process, he said: 'Yes, of course, I do. 'Jess has been working on issues involving violence against women and girls for many, many years.' Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also given strong backing, saying there is 'no-one better for that job' than Ms Phillips. Their assertions of faith came despite a fifth woman, who goes under the pen name Gaia Cooper, quitting the panel this week, to join the four who had already left. She reportedly claimed she had been offered 'no support' and the process is being used as a 'political battering ram'. Her fellow four departing panellists had previously written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood about Ms Phillips's comments on the scope of the inquiry. But the safeguarding minister is so far being supported by Ms Mahmood too. In an attempt to assuage concerns earlier this week, however, the home secretary emphasised the inquiry scope 'will not change'. Writing in The Times and for GB News, she said the probe 'is not, and will never be, watered down on my watch'. The minister said it would focus on how 'some of the most vulnerable people in this country' were abused 'at the hands of predatory monsters'. Adding it was 'essential that the victims are at the heart of this inquiry', she expressed regret that the four women had decided to step down from the panel. Ms Mahmood said: 'Should they wish to return, the door will always remain open to them. 'But even if they do not, I owe it to them — and the country — to answer some of the concerns that they have raised.' Speaking to Times Radio on Wednesday, Ms Goddard said the Home Secretary's statement was 'reassuring'. But she reiterated her call for Ms Phillips to resign over her comments disputing the allegations the inquiry was being watered down. She told Channel 4 News: 'My problem is there is little to no recognition of what Jess Phillips did today by nationally calling me a liar when she knew I was telling the truth. 'I think that there needs to be an apology, swiftly followed by Jess Phillips' resignation. 'Jess Phillips needs to be removed because I don't think her conduct … this last 24 hours especially, has been acceptable for the position that she holds. 'She has publicly accused me of lying when she knows I'm telling the truth.' Ms Phillips told MPs on Tuesday she 'absolutely regrets' survivors had quit their roles but that 'allegations of intentional delay, lack of interest or widening of the inquiry scope and dilution are false'. She said opinions varied among victims as to who would be best suited to the role as she faced questions from MPs about the process. 'I will engage with all the victims, regardless of their opinions, and I will listen to those that have been put in the media, that are put in panels, I will always listen and I will speak to all of them,' she said. The four victims who quit the panel, however, countered by saying 'evidence has since proven we were telling the truth'. Ms Reynolds, Ms Goddard, Ms Harper and 'Jessica' state in their letter to Ms Mahmood there are five conditions for their return to the advisory panel. As well as Ms Phillips's resignation, they call for 'all survivors on the panel to be genuinely consulted on the appointment of a chair, who must be a former or sitting judge'. They also demand victims are able to speak freely without fear of reprisal and for the inquiry's scope to remain 'laser-focused' on grooming gangs. The women also request that the current victim liaison lead is replaced by a mental health professional. The survivors' letter, shared on Ms Goddard's X account, says: 'Being publicly contradicted and dismissed by a government minister when you are a survivor telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again. 'It is a betrayal that has destroyed what little trust remained. 'We have been failed by every institution meant to protect us. 'We were failed as children, we were failed by police who didn't believe us, failed by social services who blamed us, and failed by a system that protected our abusers. 'We will not participate in an inquiry that repeats those same patterns of dismissal, secrecy, and institutional self-protection.' Despite this, Mr Streeting told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour there was 'no one in Parliament who has done more to tackle violence against women and girls than Jess'. Asked if she should resign, he said: 'No, I don't think she should... 'I'm not dismissing what her critics are saying, and the criticism they have of the type of candidates that have been put forward, we do take those things seriously. 'But there is no one better for that job than Jess Phillips, and no one more committed to these issues in Parliament than Jess Phillips.' The group of five survivors who wish for her to remain in post similarly said she had 'devoted her life to hearing and amplifying the voices of women and girls who would have otherwise been unheard'. The contingent reportedly includes one woman who was abused in Oldham from the age of 12. The intervention underlined the difficulties for the government in assembling the long-awaited inquiry. According to the Telegraph, Gaia Cooper said in her separate letter to NWG - the charity running victims' liaison - she did not 'align' herself 'with any political agendas'. 'Numerous times during this process, which I agree is in its infancy, we have been offered counselling and support, but during this media storm there has been nothing, and that is the time I have felt I needed it the most,' she reportedly wrote. Another leading candidate to chair the inquiry withdrew from the process earlier this week hitting out at the 'toxic' situation. Former police officer Jim Gamble accused politicians of prioritising 'their own petty personal or political issues' and 'playing games' with the inquiry. In his withdrawal letter, he said he had pulled out of the appointment process because of a 'lack of confidence' in him among some survivors of grooming gangs 'due to my previous occupation'. He later criticised those 'who have been mischief-making' by highlighting his former police career, saying it was 'nonsense' to imply he would align himself 'with any political party to hide their blushes'. He follows Annie Hudson, a former director of children's services for Lambeth, who was reported to have withdrawn on Tuesday. A Home Office spokesman previously said on this: 'We are disappointed that candidates to chair that inquiry have withdrawn. 'This is an extremely sensitive topic, and we have to take the time to appoint the best person suitable for the role.' Reports of young girls being groomed by gangs of men, primarily of Pakistani heritage, first emerged in 2002. A group of five men were convicted in 2010 of sexual offences against girls aged 12 to 16 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The Times then published an investigation revealing the extent of the abuse in the town - and also by other similar networks elsewhere in the country. Grooming gangs have since been found and locked up in more than a dozen other English towns, most notably Rochdale, Oldham and Telford. Former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a national review of grooming gangs in January this year. Baroness Casey undertook a 'rapid' three-month national audit and made 12 recommendations to the government - including a national inquiry. The prime minister launched the national inquiry in June, after reading the Casey report. It followed months of pressure on the government to act, as well as a series of local investigations into the issue, including in Rotherham and Rochdale. The Home Office have been approached for comment.
