This was my local MPs response to this question in a local group.
As some of you may be aware, the Labour Government is actually launching an independent inquiry. As you know, this is a topic I take very seriously, so I was pleased to see that in December, the Home Secretary gave a statement on this independent inquiry into grooming gangs, the appointment of its chair and panel, and the inquiry’s terms of reference.
This follows the recommendation of Baroness Casey, who had been working on a review into child sexual exploitation and institutional responses, back in June last year. Our Government had already, since it came to power, adopted all 21 recommendations of the Casey Review in relation to institutional failures, whilst previous Governments failed to act. It has now been announced that this will be chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield, who was the Children’s Commissioner from 2015 to 2021 and has devoted her life to children’s rights.
Alongside her, Zoë Billingham CBE – a former inspector at His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and chair of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS foundation trust – and Eleanor Kelly CBE – the former chief executive of Southwark council – will be panellists. I am glad that the chair and panel, each recommended by Baroness Casey, bring experience of championing children’s rights, knowledge of policing and local government, and a proven track record of holding powerful institutions to account.
To answer your question directly, to be clear, we did not vote against the Tory motion last January because we were against the idea of a national inquiry. We voted against a Tory Parliamentary stunt that would have killed off a new law to safeguard children. This is because the amendment was attached to the most important child protection legislation in over a decade, which would have been killed if the vote had passed.
Furthermore, I also welcome the Government’s announcement that this inquiry will be completed within three years, supported by a £65 million budget. A further £3.65 million will be committed in 2025 to the policing operation, survivor support and research into grooming gangs. The inquiry is focused on child sexual abuse committed by grooming gangs, and will explicitly consider the background of offenders, including their ethnicity and religion, and whether the authorities failed to properly investigate what happened out of a misplaced desire to protect community cohesion.
There is a clear and consistent theme here of populist politicians choosing to whip people up rather than the focusing on the substance of the issue - it is curious, in itself, that this debate has resurfaced now, despite the fact that there is a national inquiry beginning. In many cases such as that of Rupert Lowe MP, they have shown their contempt for the safety of women and girls by defending X amid the Grok scandal of sexualised images being generated and by accepting nearly £40k since the 2024 election.
I believe that the inquiry must place victims and survivors at the forefront, and I believe it is right that a charter will set out how they will participate and how their views, experiences and testimony will shape the inquiry’s work.
You can access the Home Secretary’s full statement here: www.gov.uk/government/speeches/independent-inquiry-into-grooming-gangs and I can assure you that I will continue to monitor developments very closely.