A damning report into grooming gangs failures is set to be released today after Keir Starmer‘s humiliating U-turn on a national inquiry.
The review by Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey is expected to conclude that years of warnings about abuse of white girls were ‘institutionally ignored for fear of racism’.
The conclusions sparked a dramatic volte face from the PM over the weekend. He previously suggested those calling for a national probe into the rape and sexual abuse of thousands of girls by gangs of mainly Pakistani-heritage men were ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ of the ‘far-Right’.
However, a statutory national inquiry has now been ordered, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper due to give details in a Commons statement later.
Ms Cooper has already declared that Britain’s version of the FBI will lead ‘a major nationwide operation to track down more perpetrators’.
The National Crime Agency investigation has been billed as ‘helping to put an end to the culture of denial in local services and authorities about the prevalence of this crime’.
A review by Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey is expected to conclude that years of warnings about abuse of white girls were ‘institutionally ignored for fear of racism’
The conclusions sparked a dramatic volte face from Keir Starmer over the weekend
A statutory national inquiry has now been ordered, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper due to give details in a Commons statement later
Ms Cooper said: ‘More than 800 grooming gang cases have already been identified by police after I asked them to look again at cases which had closed too early.
‘Now we are asking the National Crime Agency to lead a major nationwide operation to track down more perpetrators and bring them to justice.’
Ministers are said to be concerned that Lady Casey’s findings could trigger civil unrest in parts of the country unless they are seen to be acting decisively.
But it has emerged that Sir Keir’s ‘national’ inquiry could focus on attacks in as few as five communities.
Campaigners believe grooming gangs have been and remain active in as many as 50 towns and cities.
But Whitehall sources said the new inquiry is likely to merely act as an ‘umbrella’ for five local investigations that were already planned.
One source said limiting the inquiry would prevent it getting bogged down, adding: ‘We don’t want another seven-year inquiry,’ a reference to the Jay inquiry into child sexual abuse.
Although it will have vital powers to compel public bodies such as councils and the police to give evidence, critics warned that ministers must not restrict its scope.
In January, the PM hit out at politicians ‘calling for inquiries because they want to jump on the bandwagon of the far-Right’.
But speaking to reporters en route to the G7 summit in Canada over the weekend, Sir Keir said: ‘Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on.
‘She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen.
‘I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.
‘I asked her to do that job to double-check on this; she has done that job for me and having read her report, I respect her in any event. I shall now implement her recommendations.’
Asked when it would start work, the PM replied: ‘It will be statutory under the Inquiries Act. That will take a bit of time to sort out exactly how that works and we will set that out in an orderly way.’
He insisted that he had never ruled out a national inquiry although he previously wanted to focus on implementing recommendations made in earlier reports.
‘From the start I have always said that we should implement the recommendations we have got because we have got many other recommendations. I think there are 200 when you take all of the reviews that have gone on at every level and we have got to get on with implementing them.
‘I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That’s why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit.’
Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted yesterday that the focus should be on victims rather than apologising to ‘hurt feelings’ of other politicians.
Robbie Moore, Tory MP for Keighley and Ilkley who wants an inquiry into grooming in West Yorkshire, was among those warning the terms must be right
Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted yesterday that the focus should be on victims rather than apologising to ‘hurt feelings’ of other politicians
The Labour MP for Rotherham said she was initially reluctant about another ‘grooming gangs’ inquiry but supported it after listening to the public.
Sarah Champion told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that the 20 recommendations from the previous inquiry ‘sat in a drawer for a while’ but were now starting to be used.
She said: ‘The thought of having another filled me with horror, and I was reluctant, but when I realised the overwhelming public concern, there’s a real sense justice has not been handed out fairly and there has been a cover-up and intense frustration that there are still victims and survivors who haven’t received justice.
‘I have an intense frustration that not the frontline staff but further up the management chain there were people who were actively blocking reports, people who I think if not held to a criminal standard should be held to a professional standard for their negligence in protecting those children.
‘I saw people that would have faced the most criticism have left, took early retirement, changed to a different job and some are having very successful careers, and that’s an intense frustration when because of their negligence they have continued to let children be exposed and exploited.’
She said the biggest failing was that ‘no-one has joined the dots up’ when it came to grooming gangs of a Pakistani heritage.
She said: ‘Are there any links between those different groups and gangs? Personally, I think it’s highly likely that there will be.’
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘The public deserves the truth in full, and without compromise and those who covered this up should be investigated for misconduct in public office.’
Robbie Moore, Tory MP for Keighley and Ilkley who wants an inquiry into grooming in West Yorkshire, said: ‘If this inquiry is to deliver real justice, it must go much further than simply rebranding the five local inquiries already announced by Labour.
‘In my view, this must truly be a people’s inquiry – with investigations in the 50 towns and cities we know have been affected and new accountability mechanisms that can bring about criminal convictions.’
Reform leader Nigel Farage said the inquiry had to be ‘done correctly’. He added: ‘This cannot be a whitewash. It’s time for victims to receive the justice they deserve and for perpetrators to face the full force of the law.’
Oldham grooming gang survivor Samantha Walker-Roberts said Sir Keir had only ordered an inquiry because he was ‘backed into a corner’. She told Times Radio that the PM still does not have survivors’ ‘best interests at heart’.
