Cooper announces inquiries into grooming gangs

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans for 5 government-backed section inquiries into grooming gangs successful a wide displacement of presumption connected the issue.

She said apical lawyer Tom Crowther, who led an enquiry successful Telford, would assistance Oldham and 4 different aviator areas yet to beryllium named, make their ain reviews.

Cooper besides announced a "rapid" 3 period nationalist audit headed by seasoned authorities troubleshooter Baroness Louise Casey. This volition analyse the ethnicity and demographics of gangs and their victims, arsenic good arsenic the "cultural drivers" down the offending.

Tory shadiness location caput Chris Philp said the program was "wholly inadequate" and determination should beryllium a afloat nationalist inquiry.

Between 1997 and 2013, towns and cities - including Oldham and Rotherham - were blighted by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani descent, who raped and trafficked children arsenic young arsenic 11.

An independent report, published by Prof Alexis Jay successful 2014, estimated 1,400 girls had been abused successful Rotherham. She would aboriginal spell connected to pb a nationalist reappraisal into kid intersexual abuse, which lasted 7 years and made 20 recommendations erstwhile it was published successful 2022.

The Conservatives person argued that the study did not sufficiently analyse grooming gangs and called for caller nationalist inquiry.

In caller days 3 Labour MPs besides publically expressed enactment for a nationalist enquiry - Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh.

Other elder Labour figures, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, besides joined the calls, saying they would enactment a constricted caller inquiry.

The contented has been thrust into the spotlight by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has criticised the premier curate for not calling a nationalist inquiry.

Musk responded to Cooper's announcement by saying connected his X platform: "I anticipation this is simply a due investigation."

Prof Jay rejected calls for a caller nationalist enquiry past week, saying victims privation to spot enactment connected her recommendations and a caller enquiry would origin delays.

The premier curate and Labour ministers had said their precedence was to instrumentality the Jay recommendations, and Cooper announced that 1 of the cardinal points - mandatory reporting - would beryllium added to the Crime and Policing Bill.

In a connection successful the House of Commons, Cooper said that contempt Prof Jay's study and different inquiries, "shamefully small advancement had been made".

"That has got to change," she said and added that by Easter, the authorities would acceptable retired a "clear timetable" for implementing the Jay report's recommendations.

Cooper argued that "effective section inquiries tin delve into acold much section item and present much locally applicable answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide enquiry tin provide"

She said Tom Crowther, who led an enquiry successful Telford, would assistance the authorities make a caller model for "victim-centred locally-led inquiries wherever they are needed".

She said this would statesman by moving with Oldham Council and up to 4 different aviator areas, with £5m being enactment up to "get enactment disconnected the ground".

Champion pressed the location caput connected whether the inquires would beryllium capable to summon witnesses to springiness evidence.

"What we request to bash is marque definite determination person been nary cover-ups, and it's lone if it's connected a statutory footing that we tin bash that," she said.

Cooper replied that antithetic approaches could beryllium taken and the authorities would enactment with section mayors and section councils to "make definite that we tin fortify the accountability arrangements".

She said this included introducing a "duty of candour" which requires nationalist servants to archer the truth.

The abstracted audit looking astatine the ethnicity of grooming gangs and their victims volition beryllium led by Baroness Louise Casey, who antecedently led the 2015 reappraisal of Rotherham Council.

Casey has already been appointed to pb a committee into societal care, but Downing Street insisted the 2 pieces of enactment would not clash, saying her enactment connected grooming gangs would beryllium finished earlier before the commencement of April.

In her statement, Cooper besides announced she would beryllium asking main constables successful England and Wales to re-examine historical pack exploitation cases and re-open investigations "were appropriate". This would beryllium backed by £2m of further funding, she said.