The Bishop of Blackburn has called for the national inquiry into grooming gangs to begin as soon as possible, with the voices of survivors at its centre.
Rt Rev Philip North was speaking after the Home Secretary insisted the focus of the inquiry won't be watered down - despite a delay in appointing a chair and four survivors quitting their roles on the panel because of the way it is being handled.
Bishop Philip told Premier: “These inquiries are extremely difficult to get right, as they try to get the right chair, the right membership and clarify the terms of reference. I think it's particularly difficult to handle in this case, because there is no doubt of the significant level of concerns in many urban communities about grooming gangs".
He said a lack of action to tackle the gangs “had led to fear of a cover up, and that's part of the narrative the far-right is playing into“.
The government announced in June that a national inquiry would be held after a report by Baroness Louise Casey found that a culture of “blindness, ignorance and prejudice” had led to repeated failures to properly investigate cases in which children were abused and exploited by gangs.
Bishop Philip said he was concerned that some survivors had left the panel:
“At the heart of this, you've got young girls horrifically abused," he added.
"It’s so important that their voices are heard and justice is seen to be done and is done for them. It’s obviously very, very sad that [some] survivors have felt the need to draw back from this group.
"That is bad news, because in any inquiry like this, the survivor voice must be absolutely front and centre. That’s why I'm praying today that this can be quickly addressed and the whole inquiry put back on course with the appointment of a strong chair and the reassembly of a panel”.
Defending the Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips who has accused of seeking to dilute the focus of the inquiry, the bishop said: “Jess Phillips has a strong track record of standing up for the rights of women and girls. I've got no doubt her heart is absolutely in the right place here. But obviously the confusion needs sorting out and the inquiry needs to get up and running as soon as it can.
“Jesus says the truth will set you free, and that's what we need in this in this case, truth.”