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The Conservative Party has unveiled a proposal for a judge-led inquiry to take the place of the government’s delayed investigation into grooming gangs. Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, criticized Labour for lacking the “political courage” to initiate the national inquiry it previously promised, pointing out that over six months after its announcement, the inquiry still does not have a chair appointed. Badenoch emphasized that her proposal was developed in consultation with survivors and advocates and would include a thorough review of the role that ethnicity and religion play in these cases.
Labour responded by stating that the government has been working “tirelessly to prepare the most robust possible approach” and has engaged in close consultation with a diverse group of victims and survivors. However, progress on establishing the national inquiry has stalled after Sir Keir Starmer publicized the plans in June, following extensive political debate. The government’s initiative, known as the Independent Commission on Grooming Gangs (ICCG), is designed to oversee various targeted local investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation. The ICCG is expected to wield legal powers such as directing investigations and summoning witnesses.
Despite these goals, the ICCG has faced controversy. Four women resigned from its victim liaison panel, calling for the resignation of Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, while five abuse survivors later wrote to the prime minister expressing they would only continue cooperating if Phillips remained in office. Furthermore, the government admitted in October that appointing an inquiry chair might take months after two major candidates withdrew from consideration.
The Conservatives have urged the government to abandon the ICCG and initiate a new probe. Their proposal includes examining the ethnicity and religious affiliations of grooming gangs, imposing a two-year duration on the inquiry, and focusing specifically on non-familial abuse cases. Badenoch stated at a press conference in London, “I want to be clear that a national inquiry must leave no stone unturned. This is about survivors and what they want. We must give a voice to the voiceless.” Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp added that the Conservatives had developed detailed terms of reference in consultation with survivors, advocates, and families, demonstrating the feasibility of the inquiry, contrasting this with the government’s six months of inaction.
In response, a government spokesperson noted that a “huge amount of work” had been conducted over recent months to get the inquiry operational and promised an update on the affair “shortly.” Meanwhile, a Labour spokesperson accused the Conservatives of “shamefully failing to implement a single recommendation” from Professor Alexis Jay’s seven-year investigation into child sexual abuse, released in October 2022. Labour reiterated the government’s commitment to a full, statutory national inquiry that will explicitly investigate aspects of ethnicity and culture among offenders
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