Yvette Cooper announces inquiries into grooming gangs
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to review evidence of grooming gangs across the country and launch five government-backed local investigations.
She stopped short of launching a mandated national inquiry as demanded by Conservative and some Labor MPs, but it marked a clear shift in the government’s stance.
Cooper said top lawyer Tom Crowther, who is leading the Telford inquiry, would help Oldham and four other as-yet-unnamed pilot areas conduct their own reviews.
She also announced a “rapid” three-month national audit, led by veteran government problem solver Baroness Louise Casey, to examine the demographics of gangs and their victims, as well as the “cultural drivers” behind crime factor”.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the plan was “completely inadequate” and reiterated calls for a full national inquiry.
He expressed concern that local investigative agencies do not have the power to compel witnesses to appear and testify under oath.
The issue has recently been thrust into the spotlight by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who criticized the prime minister for not convening a national inquiry.
Mr Musk responded to Cooper’s statement on his X platform: “I hope this is a proper investigation”. He added: “This is a step in the right direction, but the results speak for themselves.”
The row between Musk and Starmer centers on high-profile cases in which a group of men – mainly of Pakistani origin – were convicted of sexual abuse and abuse in towns including Rotherham and Rochdale. Rape of young white girls.
one Independent report published by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014It is estimated that 1,400 girls were abused in Rotherham. She subsequently led a national review into child sexual abuse, which lasted seven years and made 20 recommendations when it was released in 2022.
In recent days, three Labor MPs have spoken out in support of a national inquiry – Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh.
Other senior Labor figures, including Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, also joined the call, saying they would support a limited new inquiry.
Professor Jay last week rejected calls for a new national inquiry, saying victims wanted to see action on her recommendations and a new inquiry would cause delays.
The Prime Minister and Labor ministers said their priority was implementing Jay’s recommendations, with Cooper announcing that one of the key points – mandatory reporting – would be added to the Crime and Policing Bill.
Cooper said in a statement in the House of Commons that despite Professor Jay’s report and other investigations, “shamefully little progress has been made”.
“This has to change,” she said, adding that by Easter the government would have a “clear timetable” for implementing the Jay report’s recommendations.
Cooper believes that “effective local surveys can delve into more local detail and provide more locally relevant answers and changes than lengthy national surveys.”
She said Tom Crowther, who is leading the inquiry in Telford, would help the government develop a new framework for “victim-centred, locally-led investigations where needed”.
She said this would first provide £5m in a total £10m package to “kickstart work”, working with Oldham Council and up to four other pilot areas.
Champion pressed the home secretary on whether the inquiry would be able to call witnesses to give evidence.
“What we need to do is make sure there is no cover-up and we can only do that on a statutory basis,” she said.
Cooper responded that different approaches could be taken and the government would work with local mayors and local councils “to ensure we can strengthen accountability arrangements”.
She said this included introducing a “duty of candor” requiring public servants to tell the truth.
The separate audit into grooming gangs and the ethnicity of their victims will be led by Baroness Casey, who led Rotherham Council’s 2015 review.
Crossbench colleagues have has been appointed Leading a social care committee, but Downing Street insisted the two jobs would not conflict and said her work on grooming gangs would be completed by early April.
Cooper also announced in her statement that she would ask police chiefs in England and Wales to re-examine historical cases of gang exploitation and reopen investigations “appropriately”. She said this would be supported by £2.5m of funding.
More victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation will be able to seek an independent review of their cases, the government says.
“We have been fighting for this”
On the same day Cooper made his statement, BBC News spoke to four survivors of historic sexual abuse in Oldham.
They traveled to Birmingham to meet with Jess Phillips, the government minister responsible for the protection of women and girls and violence.
Listening to Cooper, “Sarah” and “Amelia” exchanged a hug.
“We’ve been fighting for this,” they said through tears.
After spending some time with Phillips, Amelia said: “I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m content now, but actions speak louder than words.”
But survivors “Sam” and “Jane” were not satisfied and said they felt their voices were not being heard.
Sam told the BBC: “We want the government to launch an inquiry into Oldham and other towns.”
“We know what is right and what is wrong. We know that a government-led inquiry is not the same as a parliament-led inquiry.”
The women expressed dismay that the government’s decision, announced on Thursday, had been taken even before the meeting.
“It’s not just us who are disappointed,” Jane explained. “We are survivors, we have been through what we have been through.
“It’s the kids and other people who are going through this right now and we don’t want them to be disappointed.
“That’s what we’re all fighting for. We won’t let them down in any way. We will always support them”
“Sarah”, “Amelia” and “Jane” are not the women’s real names and the BBC is protecting their identities.
Last week, Sarah, Jane and Amelia All have expressed their concerns to the BBC.
“A crucial step”
Lucy Duckworth, from the Survivors Trust, welcomed Cooper’s announcement that the recommendations of the Jay report, formally known as the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IIICSA), would be implemented.
She said it would “bring about fundamental cultural changes in how we protect children from any form of sexual abuse and how we support victims and survivors to recover from the trauma they have experienced”.
The Act On IICSA campaign group, led by Professor Jay, said it was a “crucial step in tackling the systemic issue of child sexual abuse”.
“Together we can build a future free of all forms of sexual abuse,” said steering member Fay Maxted.
