A rape gang survivor has condemned Labour's decision to scale back local inquiries into grooming gangs, describing it as a "profound betrayal" to victims.
Lucia Rea expressed her dismay at the Government's backtracking on child sexual exploitation investigations.
The controversy surrounding the U-turn began after Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips confirmed a £5million five-way probe into grooming gangs would be reallocated into a "flexible fund".
Phillips claimed there is "far too much party-political misinformation" about the action that is being taken by the Government, when everyone should be trying to support victims and survivors.
Lucia Rea slams Labour for the 'profound betrayal' of grooming gang survivors
PA / GB News
She added: "We will not hesitate to go further, unlike the previous Government, who showed no interest in this issue over 14 years and did nothing to progress the recommendations from the seven-year national inquiry when they had the chance."
Speaking to GB News, Lucia Rea said: "It's just complete dismay with this backtracking from the government, especially on something as serious as child sexual exploitation. It's just a profound betrayal to the survivors.
"Survivors didn't take these as political promises, they were lifelines to the survivors who were thinking they were going to get justice."
Rea expressed frustration that most of the planned investigations have been cancelled: "We now found ourselves in a situation where we'll have the 'I'm alright, Jack' attitude. We wanted this for the nation. We know that there's a lot of areas which need looking at."
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Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips confirmed a £5million five-way probe into grooming gangs would be reallocated into a 'flexible fund'
Parliament TV
She pointed out that the original plan for five inquiries was already insufficient.
"The five weren't enough and to think that four of them have now been excluded, and only one town is going to receive what is due, and even that's not statutory, so that's still not good enough," Rea told GB News.
Rea said the Government's decision has further damaged survivors' already fragile trust in authorities.
"It has just undermined what very little trust there was in the first place. The survivors don't have trust in the authorities, and they have made it even worse," she stated.
Rea told GB News the decision has 'undermined what very little trust there was in the first place' from survivors
GB News
She also questioned whether the Government might be concealing uncomfortable data.
"Baroness Louise Casey was supposed to be looking into the data around and I think that's going to be delayed as well. Are they seeing something in this data and they can't face it?" Rea asked.
"They're making these decisions and don't know what's changed or who've they consulted to come to this conclusion. Then they just drop it like a bomb on these survivors again and make them re-traumatised," she added.
The survivor criticised the lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
"They're making these decisions and don't know what's changed or who've they consulted to come to this conclusion. Then they just drop it like a bomb on these survivors again and make them re-traumatised," she concluded.
