Ellie Costello confronted Culture Minister Lisa Nandy this morning over claims grooming gang survivors were excluded from the consultation process for the newly announced inquiry chair.
The presenter also questioned whether the appointment of Baroness Anne Longfield, who resigned the Labour whip only yesterday, could truly be considered impartial given her close connections to the governing party.
“I first met her when I was at the Children’s Society, working with children, including, very early on, victims of some of those grooming gang scandals,” Ms Nandy explained to Britain’s News Channel.
“She was a fearless and fierce advocate for children and young people back then, speaking truth to power, and she’s never stopped doing that.”
“I believe she’s absolutely the right person to do this inquiry, not just to get answers, but to get the action that has been denied to survivors of the grooming gangs for too long.
“But I do completely understand why so many survivors are sceptical about people in positions of authority.
“They’ve been let down over and over again. We’ve got to earn back their trust.
“We’ve got to earn their confidence by taking the action that they’ve been denied for too long, and I believe that Anne is precisely the right person to do that.”
Ellie tore into Lisa Nady on GB News
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GB NEWS
However, Ellie pressed: “But are you earning back their trust when survivors were told they would be consulted on who the chair would be that they would be spoken to about the terms of reference?
“Many victims and survivors have told GB News this morning that they found out who the chair was on this channel.
“The Government didn’t speak to them. They weren’t consulted. Doesn’t it look like you’ve failed them before you’ve even begun?”
Ms Nandy responded: “Look, there will be different views among victims and survivors, and they’re perfectly entitled to express them and of course we will always listen.
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Lisa Nandy defended the appointment
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GB NEWS
“But we promised action, and like you said at the beginning, these things take far too long.
“For too long, people have been denied not just answers, but action.
“That’s why we’ve named Anne Longfield as chair of this inquiry and she is meeting victims and survivors this week to ensure that, from the very start, they are absolutely at the centre of this process so we get the right outcome.”
The appointment follows a protracted search process that has been plagued by controversy and disagreement.
Earlier this year, a group of women departed from the inquiry’s victim liaison panel, accusing ministers of trying to expand the investigation’s scope to encompass other forms of child sexual abuse.
Several of those who left demanded Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips step down from her role, though other panel members subsequently wrote in Ms Phillips’s defence.
Louise Casey, who produced a nationwide audit on grooming gangs recommending a full inquiry, was brought in by the Prime Minister to help restore confidence in the process.
In correspondence with the remaining survivors assisting the inquiry, Ms Casey expressed hope that the new chair would possess the qualities they had been seeking.
Oldham is set to be among the first areas examined under the national inquiry, with Baroness Longfield expected to visit the borough early in the new year to speak with survivors and local partners.
The town had previously been promised funding for a local inquiry after the Government initially rejected calls for a full statutory investigation, but this will now be dropped in favour of prioritisation within the national process.
Council leader Arooj Shah welcomed the development, stating: “It is vital that survivors in Oldham finally have the chance to share their testimony in a way that is recognised, respected and heard.”
She pledged the local authority’s full cooperation, emphasising that the inquiry must help bring perpetrators to justice and deliver accountability for those who failed young people.