Government on child sex abuse and rape gangs - new authority set up, gang enquiries dropped.

[ArabellaScott]

New child protection authority to be set up.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/government-jess-phillips-home-office-inquiry-elon-musk-b2729520.html

“Building on the national child safeguarding review panel, the child protection authority will address one of IICSA’s central recommendations for providing national leadership and learning on child protection and safeguarding.
“Work to expand the role of the panel will begin immediately, and we will consult on developing the new authority this year.”
...
'Baroness Casey’s three-month national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse is ongoing. It is building a comprehensive national picture of what is known about child sexual exploitation, identifying local and national trends, assessing the quality of data, looking at the ethnicity issues faced, for example, by cases involving Pakistani heritage gangs, and reviewing police and wider agency understanding. We are developing a new best practice framework to support local authorities that want to undertake victim-centred local inquiries or related work, drawing on the lessons from local independent inquiries such as those in Telford, Rotherham and Greater Manchester. We will publish the details next month.'

However:

Five enquiries into grooming gangs are dropped.

'Katie Lam MP, who responded to the statement, told GB News: “Children across Britain have been sexually tortured by gangs of men.
"We must confront the reality of these crimes and how so many people in positions of power let them go on so long.
“Local inquiries are not good enough — they can’t compel witnesses, they can’t look at themes across the country, and they can’t address national issues like deportation.
“Now the Government is watering them down even further. We won’t let them get away with it.”

'In January, the Home Secretary said that the Government would conduct five local inquiries into the rape gangs who have terrorised so many innocent children. More than three months since the Government announced those local inquiries, Tom Crowther KC, a barrister invited by the Home Office to help establish them, knows almost nothing about their progress, and neither do we. Why is the framework for local inquiries now being led by Ministers, rather than by independent voices such as Tom Crowther? Why is the £5 million set aside for inquiries no longer being allocated, but instead delivered on an “opt-in” basis? What do the Government intend to do about local leaders who say there is no need for an independent inquiry, as they do in Bradford and in Wales?'

https://www.gbnews.com/news/labour-grooming-gang-inquiries-plan-dropped-jess-phillips

Hansard:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-04-08/debates/4FDDC9A4-1AC6-4F34-8E6B-3DF6CC2C981A/TacklingChildSexualAbuse

Content warning: The most upsetting speech I've ever heard from Westminster. Details of CSA.

That is a very good video and explains what local people have known for decades.

Sod community tensions. This quote accidentally sounds like an old Norm McDonald joke

The one and only priority should be investigating the industrialised gang rape of oft impoverished and always vulnerable girls.

If said investigation exposes societal fault lines, political class complicity or the second coming of Satan himself, I don't care. The cracks are already there - not looking at them doesn't solve a thing.

The only things that matter is ensuring this stops, punishing those who transgressed or enabled transgression, and healing the victims.

In my view their aren't enough gallows left in the world for what should happen as a consequence for the reported offences, but I'd accept whole-life sentences in vile and cheap facilities as a substitute.

Exactly - the report didn’t look at Pakistani rape gangs. People who say ‘we already had an inquiry’ either believe the government propaganda or sympathise with male rapists. Because it did not investigate rape gangs that operate all over our country and appear to be covered up by those that could stop it.

The lack of discussion on this parenting website about this rape and torture of girls is awful too. Imagine being one of the victims- no one cared about them then and no one cares about them now.

As a nation we are clearly in a very bad place. Have we lost our morals and sense of what is right and wrong? How did this happen? How can we think we are a serious western country with values? Other countries must be appalled by the U.K.

Who would visit a country who doesn’t protect the human rights of its own children? Instead they prefer to defend the gang rapists who nail girls tongues to tables.

@TheCatsTongue Thank you for sharing the video I will watch later.

@endofthelinefinally I’m not sure if you are from one of the areas affected. Who is threatening the law abiding citizens? The Pakistani community or the Police or Council? This needs investigating too. It suggests we may have very corrupt politicians, councils and police.

It reminds me of the beginning of the transgender debate - using words like bigots, far right = shut up about what you can see in front of you.

"It suggests we may have very corrupt politicians, councils and police".

Yes indeed.

Did the rapists think about community tensions? Why wasn’t it a priority to them but it’s important for victims to consider how their assault may affect tensions in the community.

Did the rapists, and those families and friends who covered up for rapists plus the police and the councils and MPs think about the white and Sikh families and communities who’s lives may be affected forever due to the crimes?

Why do we need to prioritise community tensions over tortured raped children. Surely the communities want the criminals locking up? This prioritising community over victim is what I mean. British society has clearly lost sense of what is right and wrong.

If a person gang rapes and tortures they should be imprisoned regardless of age, sex, nationality, race, religion and political persuasion. It is a crime. We are meant to be a civilised country. Rape and torture is illegal.

If a sector of society is committing mass gang rape and torture it needs investigating. The fact we worry more about tension than rape shows something is wrong. It needs a full government inquiry.

The alternative is to say ‘it’s okay in the UK for some men to torture some of our kids and the authorities and public will turn a blind eye’.

Just saw that Yvette Cooper mentioned ‘misinformation’ on GB news today. Does Misinformation = we know our actions are immoral.

It seems that once again they are trying to stop discussions and being held to account for their decisions.

She didn’t mention grooming gangs or rape torture gangs instead using child exploitation. Yvette has sold out our girls. Those who believe government propaganda and those who empathise with the rapists may see it as misinformation but many decent people see the truth.

We may as well pay the rape gangs to investigate themselves.

I will write to my Labour MP today. Asking them to watch Lam in parliament and to speak out to protect our children against grooming gangs.

Does anyone know of anything else we can do? These girls matter to me. I believe them. They deserve an inquiry and criminals / any officials involved to face the courts.

It’s also inconceivable that the men involved couldn’t have been / wouldn’t have been offending much closer to home. This is what sexual predators do. They test boundaries and then they escalate. The idea it’s only white girls most likely doesn’t stack up.

And anyway, even if it is only white girls. Then what? Fuck em, they don’t count?

At no point have I said that community tensions mean this issue shouldn't be looked at nor that there shouldn't be an enquiry. That was half the point of my post, ffs.

Ignoring the issue will likely exacerbate community tensions.

@ArabellaScott
sorry for misunderstanding your post. Thank you for posting on this topic and for the links.

How are those men any different to Andrew Tate, Cyril Smith or Jimmy Saville? (just to give 3 examples).

It is corruption and collusion on a massive scale.
Watching Jess Phillips on election night was very telling.
Pandering for votes is the top priority.
Neither she nor the labour party care anything for women and children.
I agree with pp that it is all very similar to the recent infiltration of institutions by TRAs.

I remember having conversations with friends and relatives in the area about these gangs decades ago. The police and local government were colluding with it then and will continue to do so.

Its way passed the stage of an inquiry or even discussing it leading to community tension. And the political class know this.

What they are doing it protecting their own. Its the cover up that it making people angry and the fact that there is nothing in place to stop this continuing to happen. Because no one is willing to acknowledge how it happened.

To be fair, jess phillips and the others sitting with her when she made the announcement looked beaten. And she looked terrified at her speech on election night. She probably knows more than anyone, but she also knows that even if she loses her seat, theres a chance of a consolation peerage.

It is perfectly understandable that she is terrified. She knows who is running things in her constituency and how powerful and scary they are.

The thing about Jess is that she was happy to use the Muslim block voting when it suited her. She never express any concern about the intimation Muslim might have faced to give their postal vote to 'community leaders'.

She never thought about what would happen if these community leaders felt they didnt need her or the labour party anymore.

And then she has the confidence to take a safeguarding role?

It is all about careers, not constituents.

Absolutely. After listening to Katie Lam's powerful and harrowing speech I want to write to my MP but I can predict the response.

Because most of them aren’t otherwise employable.

Jess Philips isn’t suitable for this role.

I think Jess Phillips will lose to an independent at the next election.

I do agree she is not suitable for the role from the perspective of the public and the victims and those who need safeguarding. From Labours perspective she is clearly prepared to back track on her principles and change policy and not fight for the rape victims so maybe, to them, she is ideal? She is doing her best for rapists and those that collude with rapists. She isn’t causing the party any real bother. And if public pressure is too much they can back track by sacking her from the role.

I think that Voting should be in person only with passport / driving licence or two forms of address ID. Postal for disabled with very strict guidelines.

Community block votes may mean women and vulnerable people (especially) are not able to vote how they want to vote. How is this block vote even allowed?

From Labours perspective she is clearly prepared to back track on her principles and change policy and not fight for the rape victims so maybe, to them, she is ideal? ... She isn’t causing the party any real bother. And if public pressure is too much they can back track by sacking her from the role.

All of that seems true, unfortunately. JP has plausibility, but is very willing to compromise.

How she can imply that she would like a fuller understanding of what has been going on when so many people have been shouting about it only to be threatened, bullied, sacked and intimidated. From Ann Cryer MP through to the school nurses, teachers, parents, victims, local residents.
The lying and covering up is infuriating.
The same groups were importing heroin and using it on the victims.
They are still dealing drugs and money laundering through their businesses and the police turn a blind eye. Everybody knows.

Reportedly, the previous inquiry had only one grooming gang victim

https://x.com/cdp1882/status/1910357283013337147?s=48&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

That’s ridiculous. It was not fit for purpose.

No it was not fit for purpose. Only those believing the government propaganda and rape sympathisers thought the Jay report was about Pakistani rape gangs.

It appears Lowe’s crowdfunded inquiry has attracted cross party support today.

Esther McVey
James McMurdock
Rupert Lowe

I want to know who else will join them.

I see some Labour members are calling for a National Inquiry (blue Labour) there is a post on their X account in support.

Kemi has said she will ask for another vote in parliament too about a national inquiry. This is good news.

I couldn’t care less what party they are in but I’m interested in knowing how many (and who) are prepared to do the right thing even when it’s hard. Will Lam join? I hope so, she came across very well. Once I’d have said Jess Phillips would but I now doubt it.

These MPs have power and are elected by us to act for the British people and protect our children. I’m glad four have remembered that so far . I am interested to see if any others join the cross party group. I am impressed that some think cross party is the way forward - I wasnt expecting that.

Another comment that has really stuck in my head was the man who called 20 friends to come and rape his victim. Is this normal? Do people talk about rape so openly with their friends and family that they have 20 blokes numbers in their phone who want to rape children?

Online I guess you may find 20 such weirdos within a radius of your town (Giselle Pelicott) but to have 20 you meet up with in the flesh in your town some are your relatives wtf? What about the men who don’t rape children? When they were asked did they report it? It’s clearly discussed openly to find 20 mates and family who also enjoy the rape and torture of white girls.

Thank you for starting a thread on this op. I'm furious. It's ridiculous that the LAs are being asked politely if they'd like to opt in to mark their own homework. Trevor Phillips was spot on on times radio. These are predominantly Labour led areas, it's all about votes, and not upsetting certain communities at the expense of the victims. Some of these men have been welcomed back into their communities, even defended and protected by them. We all saw what happened to Jess P at her count on election night.

Jess P did an interview with Beth Rigby in January stating that nothing was off the table with regards to an inquiry if that's what the councils and victims wanted, but she said the LAs were in favour of a Telford style investigation rather than a national statutory inquiry. This claim was also pushed by Yvette Cooper.

In February, Oldham council voted in favour of a national statutory inquiry (after Labour lost overall control). The claim that local authorities don't want a national inquiry is untrue and no longer holds water.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr46yxnw1d1o

Brendan O Neill in the Spec:

https://archive.ph/Gv27f