New grooming gangs inquiry would delay action on child abuse, inquiry chair tells BBC

Professor Alexis Jay, the expert who led a seven-year investigation into child sexual abuse, stated that victims "clearly want action" rather than a new national inquiry into grooming gangs. She emphasized that now is the time to implement the reform recommendations she put forward, saying, "People across the country need to stand up and make the recommendations that have been made happen."

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today program, Professor Jay noted, "We've had enough of inquiries, consultations, and discussions—particularly for those victims and survivors who have been brave enough to come forward." She believes the current issue is "distracting from the problem" and expressed being "very unhappy" about the "politicization of child sexual exploitation in a very ill-informed way."

Despite calls from the Conservative Party and Reform UK for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, partly fueled by Elon Musk's intervention on social media, Professor Jay argues that a new national inquiry would inevitably cause delays. The Labour government has also rejected calls for a new inquiry, stating that it will implement the reforms proposed in the Jay review.

Professor Jay also stated she would not comment on whether billionaire Musk understood the situation in Oldham, where the Oldham Council was denied a government-led public inquiry in favor of a locally led one. However, she emphasized that there has been little discussion in recent days about the "horrendous and lifelong impact" of child sexual abuse on people. She is pleased that the topic and the inquiry recommendations are finally getting the attention they deserve, though it is "absolutely not the way" she would have wanted it to happen, but it has "pushed the agenda forward."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced that a new offense will be introduced this year, where those who cover up or fail to report child sexual abuse could face professional or criminal penalties. This proposal is one of 20 recommendations made by Professor Jay following her seven-year inquiry into child sexual abuse, which concluded in 2022. Cooper stated that this amendment would be added to the Crime and Policing Bill this spring. Two other recommendations being implemented include making sexual assault an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sex crimes, and the government will "overhaul" the collection of information and evidence regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The government's Minister for Victims and Violence against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, stated that no dates have been set for the implementation of all the recommendations. She pointed out that the current government has only been in office for six months, while the previous government had years to implement the recommendations and did nothing. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has called for a national inquiry, stating that "what we have learned recently is the scale of what is going on."

Jenrick was questioned on the Today program about his previous claims regarding a link between grooming gangs and the "importation of hundreds of thousands of people from alien cultures that have a medieval view of women." Jenrick stated that British Pakistani men were "over-represented" in these rape gangs. When asked if he believed that people from Pakistan had a medieval culture, he replied, "I think some people from that country do—I'm not saying all people." Professor Jay's inquiry noted that "a number of high-profile child sexual exploitation prosecutions have involved groups of men from minority ethnic communities," but that due to a lack of data, it was "not possible to know if any particular ethnic group is over-represented in the perpetration of child sexual exploitation through online means."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stated that his party would be prepared to launch an unofficial inquiry into grooming gangs if the government does not act "within weeks." He told LBC radio that he could raise the funds to finance the inquiry, although it would not have the legal power to compel witnesses to appear. Farage said, "I could raise the money to do this with ease. We would appoint independent retired judges and experts."

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), established in 2015, has conducted 15 investigations, including into grooming gangs and abuse in schools and church settings. Professor Jay previously led a landmark local inquiry into the Rotherham mass abuse scandal, where an estimated 1,400 children were exploited between 1997 and 2013, mostly by men of Pakistani origin. The final report was published in 2022, and its 20 recommendations included: establishing a national child protection agency, implementing stricter controls on those who can work with vulnerable children, legislation to force tech companies to take stronger action on online abuse material, and making it a criminal offense not to report abuse.

Musk has accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" and implied that Starmer failed to properly prosecute grooming gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions. Starmer defended his record in his previous role at a press conference on Monday, stating that when he left office, "the number of child sexual abuse cases we were prosecuting was at an all-time high." He stated that he enjoys robust debate, but it must be "based on facts and truth, not lies."

Former Greater Manchester Police (GMP) detective Maggie Oliver, who resigned in 2012 over the mishandling of the Rochdale abuse case, said that it was the "international attention on our country" that prompted the Home Secretary's announced measures. She told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour that "nothing has happened" in the two and a half years since the recommendations were made. Oliver stated that she was unsure whether victims wanted a new national inquiry, adding, "The question has to be, what is the purpose of a public inquiry? Who would lead it? What would be the terms of reference? Would victims and survivors be at the heart of it? I also think we know exactly what the problem is, it's now time for action."

Oliver also stated that she had spoken to some victims who were "incandescent with rage" at the Prime Minister's comments on Monday. Starmer had previously attacked politicians who were "calling for inquiries because they want to jump on the bandwagon of the far right." A spokesman for the Prime Minister later stated that not everyone calling for a new inquiry into child sexual abuse was far-right. But Oliver said that the victims she had spoken to felt that it "was accusing anybody who cares about this issue of being a far-right racist."