Grooming gangs inquiry chief: No need for new probe, government must 'just get on' with reforms
The head of an independent inquiry into grooming gangs has rejected calls for a fresh probe into the scandal, urging the government to "just get on with" delivering reforms.
Professor Alexis Jay led the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse which reported in 2022, and told BBC Radio 4 “the time has passed” for another lengthy examination of grooming gangs and that the row is “distracting from the issues”.
Prof Jay said “we’ve had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions” as she called for action.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is pushing for a national inquiry after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his X platform to launch a barrage of online attacks on the government over the issue.
“We have learned a lot from those reviews that have already been undertaken,” Jay said. “Locally, people need to step up to the mark and do the things that have been recommended.
“We have set out what action is required and people should just get on with it. Locally and nationally.”
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Musk's online attacks against Starmer and his government came after the government rejected a request for a government-led inquiry into sexual exploitation in Oldham, suggesting a council-led inquiry would be more effective.
Prof Jay declined to answer when asked whether she felt Musk knew what was going on in Oldham, but added: “I have heard very little in the last few days about the appalling and lifelong effects that child sexual abuse can have on people.”
She said she is pleased that the subject matter and the recommendations made by her inquiry are getting attention “but this is definitely not the way I would have chosen for it to happen”.
In light of the mounting debate around the grooming gangs scandal, the government acted on one of the recommendations from the Jay report - introducing criminal sanctions for professionals who work with children if they fail to report claims of child sexual abuse.
The previous government under Rishi Sunak had set out to do the same, but their plans were also criticised by campaigners as being watered down.
Cooper announced the mandatory reporting will be included in the crime and policing bill which is due in Parliament this spring.
Prof Jay acknowledged that Cooper's new plans announced on Monday had happened quicker than they might otherwise have done.
"It (the row) may well have given it some kind of impetus to move forward,” she said.
Prof Jay’s inquiry noted that “many of the high-profile child sexual exploitation prosecutions have involved groups of men from minority ethnic communities” but a lack of data means it is “impossible to know whether any particular ethnic group is over-represented as perpetrators of child sexual exploitation by networks”.
The seven-year inquiry said child sexual abuse was "endemic" in England and Wales, calling for "urgent" action from the government. Alongside recommending mandatory reporting, the Jay report also called for:
A financial compensation scheme for abuse victims. The Conservative government said they would do this in 2023, but failed to set it up before they lost the election in July.
The creation of a Child Protection Authority. They would have the power to inspect institutions associated with children, and to give advice and recommendations to government on child protection policy. The previous government said many of the proposed functions of a CPA "already exist within current statutory and non-statutory bodies
A "single core dataset" on child sexual abuse and exploitation. It would include the characteristics of victims and alleged perpetrators, including age, sex and ethnicity, and "should be compiled and published on a regular basis."
A specific cabinet Minister for Children. The Labour government have ruled this out, saying the role is covered by the Education Secretary.
"More robust" age-verification requirements for social media platforms
A public awareness campaign on child sexual abuse
Specialist therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse
A code of practice for access to records relating to child sexual abuse
On Monday, Yvette Cooper said a “significant package of measures” will also be revealed in the next few weeks aimed at tackling online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick claimed Pakistani men are “over-represented in those who are involved in the grooming gangs” and said he will not “tiptoe” around the issue.
Sir Keir Starmer hit back at Elon Musk on Monday, accusing him of spreading "lies and misinformation" and saying a "line has been crossed."
During a speech on the NHS, the PM was asked by journalists about tech billionaire Musk's online outbursts against the Labour government's approach to the grooming gangs scandal.
"Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible were not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves", he told reporters in Surrey.
"When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, a line has been crossed", the PM said.
Starmer also accused the Conservative Party of "simply jumping on the bandwagon to get attention", after leader Kemi Badenoch called for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
In response to a question by ITV's Political Editor Robert Peston, the PM said he was concerned about the state of UK politics.
"Once we lose the anchor that truth matters, then we're on a very slippery slope", he said.
Starmer accused Conservative and Reform MPs of being "casual about honesty, decency, truth and the rule of law, calling for inquiry because they want to jump on the bandwagon of the far-right."
The PM defended his record on prosecuting grooming gangs when he was Director of Public Prosecutions, saying he "brought the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang" in Rochdale, and "changed the whole prosecution approach because I wanted to challenge and did challenge the myths and stereotypes that were stopping those victims being heard".
In response to calls for public inquiry into grooming gangs, Starmer said: "I don't think we should leave any stone unturned, but I think we know what the basic failings were."
Musk amplified the grooming gangs debate when he joined calls for the government to take action, saying Phillips "deserves to be in prison" for her response to Oldham Council.
He also appeared to place blame at the PM's door, as he argued that “rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice”, and said on Monday that Starmer should face time in prison.
On Sunday Musk also turned on his main ally in UK politics, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, saying he "doesn't have what it takes" to lead Reform.
The two have been aligned on key political issues and are both ardent backers of Donald Trump but on Sunday Musk posted: "The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes."
Farage said Musk's comment was a "surprise" and suggested it was due to a disagreement over the tech-billionaire defending Tommy Robinson.
But speaking on Tuesday on LBC, Farage insisted he could mend his relationship with Musk - "I am confident that whatever has been said, we can mend. I really think we can", he said.
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