The four abuse survivors who have stepped down from the oversight panel of the national grooming gangs inquiry said last night that they will not re-engage with the process unless safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigns.

Fiona Goddard and Ellie-Ann Reynolds announced they were quitting earlier this week, with fellow survivors “Elizabeth” and “Jess” following suit just days later. In an open letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the four women said that, “after decades of being dismissed, silenced, and called liars by the very institutions meant to protect us, things might finally be different. Instead, we have watched history repeat itself.”

Adding to the turmoil, five other survivors on the panel have since written to Mahmood and Keir Starmer to say they will only participate if Phillips remains in post.

What did the commentators say?
The departures have “plunged” the inquiry “into disarray” before it has even started, said Sky News. Survivors have expressed concerns that the Home Office will attempt to broaden the scope “beyond group-based sexual abuse” and adopt a “regional focus”, rather than a “truly national” one. This, they say, would result in a “diluted” investigation, glossing over politically delicate issues such as the ethnicity and religion of many of the perpetrators.

“This inquiry is not, and will never be, watered down on my watch,” said Mahmood on X, insisting that “its scope will not change” and it will be “robust and rigorous”.

Goddard and Reynolds joined the panel to make sure that those “who had endured abuse” like they had “were heard”, said Joanna Williams in The Spectator. The grooming gangs “thrived” because “the abused girls were the wrong kind of victims and their Pakistani-heritage rapists were the wrong kind of perpetrators. Now, as adults, these women continue to be the wrong kind of victims.”

What next?
The inquiry still needs to find a chair. Both potential candidates approached so far have pulled out after some survivors objected to their backgrounds in police or social work.

Jim Gamble, one of those who withdrew, said there was now a “toxic environment” around the inquiry. “There needs to be a pause,” the former head of the Child Sexual Exploitation and Online Protection centre told GB News. Those in positions of power need to “think about the victims and survivors, rather than their own political point-scoring”.

Ukraine used UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles to strike a Russian chemical plant on Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian military. The plant reportedly produced gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel components for missiles and ammunition.

The attack comes after last week’s meeting at the White House in which Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was not prepared to supply Ukraine with its sought-after Tomahawk missiles, which would be capable of striking targets even further into Russia.

What are Storm Shadow missiles?
Developed jointly by the UK and France, Storm Shadow is “considered an ideal weapon for penetrating hardened bunkers and ammunition stores”, said the BBC. Launched from an aircraft in most cases, the missiles fly low to the ground, below radar, at speeds that can exceed 600mph, with a range of up to 150 miles. Targets are pinpointed with an internal camera.

Each missile costs in the region of $1 million, so they are typically deployed with “a carefully planned flurry of much cheaper drones, sent ahead to confuse and exhaust the enemy’s air defences”.

How have they been used?
The Ukrainian military has used Storm Shadows “against targets including military headquarters and ships”, though “operational details of their use do not always emerge”, said Sky News. The UK first supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles in May 2023, but Keir Starmer didn’t give permission to use the weapons on targets inside Russia until November last year.

How are they different from Tomahawks?
Tomahawks, the US-made missiles originally sought by Ukraine, have a much longer range than Storm Shadows; the most common variant can travel almost 1,000 miles at 550mph. They have been used in combat since 1991 and “are typically launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions”, said The Guardian.

Though Trump had previously indicated an openness to supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, he “changed tack” in his meeting with the Ukrainian president on Friday, said the Financial Times, not wanting to “to escalate the conflict or drain US stockpiles”. The president said: “We need them too, so I don’t know what we can do about that.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla are led through the Apostolic Palace by Pope Leo XIV. At a service in the Sistine Chapel today, the King became the first English monarch to pray with a pope since Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church almost 500 years ago.

Simone Risoluti / Vatican Media via Vatican Pool / Getty Images

Whether your family enjoys light-hearted spooks or adrenaline-pumping scares, Halloween has something for everyone. From a haunted dungeon to a spooky disco, here are the best activities taking place across the country.

Howl’o’ween, Chessington
Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London is a great Halloween option for younger kids, said The Independent. As well as the theme park and zoo, there are multiple activities to choose from, including “age-appropriate spooky shows, whimsical Enchanted Hollow trick or treating, a dedicated scare zone and after-dark ride time”.

The York Dungeon, York
Located in “one of the most haunted cities in Europe”, the York Dungeon is full of “bloodthirsty Vikings, sinister plague doctors and horrifying executioners”, said Radio Times. This Halloween’s Butcher of Bedern event doubles down on the horror as it dives into the story of the city’s darkest corner. There is a recommended minimum age of eight for younger visitors.

Skating for Everyone, Cardiff
“Everyone is welcome, from beginners to seasoned skaters” at this Halloween party on roller skates, said Wales Online. For first-timers, there are certified instructors around to guide you on how to move. With their help, “you'll be gliding around safely and with confidence in no time”.

Ghosts at Glamis, Angus
If you’re really looking to get your spook on, this year’s Glamis Castle Halloween event promises to be scarier than ever. The tour is suitable for kids aged 14 and over, with parental discretion advised, said The Courier. A great option for older kids and their adventurous parents.

Voters won’t buy slash and burn politics
Juliet Samuel in The Times
The 2008 financial crisis has “nothing” on today, writes Juliet Samuel. Then, we could “just about accept a period of tight-fistedness following a boom time”. Now, with “deteriorating public services” and the “inflationary pain” of the post-Covid economy, “voters have a limited appetite for ‘hard truths’ preached by politicians”. Kemi Badenoch shouldn’t “style herself” as the UK’s Javier Milei; the right needs ways to cut “state profligacy” with “something more decorously British than a chainsaw”.

Big? Beautiful? Donald Trump is literally ripping apart the home of US democracy. Is anyone really surprised?
Emma Brockes in The Guardian
Wrecking the White House to make room for Donald Trump’s ballroom is almost “post-satirical”, writes Emma Brockes. Trump is “demolishing the East Wing’s 1942 facade to build a giant event space”, which will probably be a cross “between the Grand Ballroom at Mar-a-Lago and Saddam Hussein’s palace”. For Americans who have already watched in horror as Trump “paved over the Rose Garden” and “decked out the Oval Office in gold”, the demolition photos are “soul-shuddering”.

The sheer joy of nighties
Rebecca Reid in The Spectator
Once the “preserve” of “convalescents and Victorian ghost children”, nightdresses” are suddenly “everywhere,” writes Rebecca Reid. Wearing one used to make me feel mildly transgressive, like a “family man who works in insurance but slips on fishnets when his wife’s away”. But now “they’re popular with sexy west London influencers and normie Home Counties mums”. And rightly so: “putting on pyjamas is just getting ready for bed; putting on a nightdress is an act of whimsy”.