Jim Gamble was the second candidate to chair the probe to pull out of the process – and said Ms Badenoch and others were using victims as a “political football” and using their voices to launch attacks on the government
A potential chair for the grooming gangs inquiry who withdrew from consideration today, accused Kemi Badenoch of “weaponising” the probe, using victims as a “political football” and “using victims voices” to launch attacks on ministers.
It comes after Keir Starmer vowed the probe would not be watered down after four survivors walked out.
The Government has been rocked in recent days after four survivors of sickening abuse quit, saying they lacked confidence in the process.
And today a second candidate to chair the probe, former police officer Jim Gamble, withdrew – hitting out at politicians prioritising “their own petty personal or political issues”.
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At PMQs Tory leader Kemi Badenoch read the words of one survivor – Fiona Goddard – who asked the PM: “What’s the point in speaking up if we’re just going to be called liars?”
Ms Goddard quit the inquiry’s victims and survivors liaison panel alongside fellow survivor Ellie-Ann Reynolds.
But Mr Gamble told Times Radio he was “disappointed” with how Ms Badenoch and others had engaged with the process.
“People accusing one another, using victims’ voices and echoing them in a mechanism to attack other ministers or shadow ministers, it’s just not right,” Mr Gamble told Times Radio, adding “Some people cannot resist the urge to weaponise these things. And I think while victims are watching on, it must be awful.”
Asked whether he meant Ms Badenoch, he said: “Well Kemi Badenoch is definitely one of them.”
“I think she’s a forthright and direct individual,” he continued. “But I was disappointed at the manner of the engagement.
“Because actually it would be much better to say, look, I’ve been speaking to some of the victims and survivors, you know, let’s get together and discuss this because not all victims and survivors want the same thing. “
He suggested the chair of the probe should be selected after public interviews in front of a Parliamentary committee, to ensure maximum transparency.
And he called for politicians on all sides to come to gather and decide a way forward.
“We are years out from an election,” he said. “So why don’t they take the pragmatic view of, look, let’s get Reform, let’s get Lib Dems, let’s get the Conservatives and let’s get the current administration into a room. And let’s not be divisive. Let’s not use victims as a political football. Let’s agree a common theme.”
He added: “No one’s covered themselves in glory. So I think there’s an opportunity now, hopefully, to pause and not wait too long, because people grow old and die, people move on and retire, evidence gets stale and gets lost.
“So you want to be able to address this and you want to be able to move forward pretty promptly so that other young people don’t suffer what this particular group of victims and survivors have.”