Cooper announces inquiries into grooming gangs

Kate Whannel
Political reporter
Ed Thomas
UK editor

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans for a nationwide review of grooming gang evidence and five government-backed local inquiries.

She stopped short of launching a statutory national inquiry, as called for by the Conservatives and some Labour MPs, but this marks a clear shift in the government's position.

Cooper said top lawyer Tom Crowther, who led an inquiry in Telford, would help Oldham and four other pilot areas yet to be named, develop their own reviews.

She also announced a "rapid" three month national audit headed by veteran government troubleshooter Baroness Louise Casey to examine the demographics of the gangs and their victims, as well as "cultural drivers" behind the offending.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the plan was "wholly inadequate" and repeated his call for a full national inquiry.

He expressed concern that the local inquiries would not have the powers to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence under oath.

The issue had recently been thrust into the spotlight by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has criticised the prime minister for not calling a national inquiry.

Musk responded to Cooper's announcement by saying on his X platform: "I hope this is a proper investigation" adding: "This is a step in the right direction, but the results will speak for themselves."

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 as young as 11.

An independent report, published by Prof Alexis Jay in 2014, estimated 1,400 girls had been abused in Rotherham. She would later go on to lead a national review into child sexual abuse, which lasted seven years and made 20 recommendations when it was published in 2022.

In recent days three Labour MPs publicly expressed support for a national inquiry - Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh.

Other senior Labour figures, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, also joined the calls, saying they would support a limited new inquiry.

Prof Jay rejected calls for a new national inquiry last week, saying victims want to see action on her recommendations and a new inquiry would cause delays.

The prime minister and Labour ministers had said their priority was to implement the Jay recommendations, and Cooper announced that one of the key points - mandatory reporting - would be added to the Crime and Policing Bill.

In a statement in the House of Commons, Cooper said that despite Prof Jay's report and other inquiries, "shamefully little progress had been made".

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

Cooper argued that "effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally relevant answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide"

She said Tom Crowther, who led an inquiry in Telford, would help the government develop a new framework for "victim-centred locally-led inquiries where they are needed".

She said this would begin by working with Oldham Council and up to four other pilot areas, with £5m of an overall £10m package being put up to "get work off the ground".

Champion pressed the home secretary on whether the inquires would be able to summon witnesses to give evidence.

"What we need to do is make sure there have been no cover-ups, and it's only if it's on a statutory footing that we can do that," she said.

Cooper replied that different approaches could be taken and the government would work with local mayors and local councils to "make sure that we can strengthen the accountability arrangements".

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

The separate audit looking at the ethnicity of grooming gangs and their victims will be led by Baroness Louise Casey, who previously led the 2015 review of Rotherham Council.

Casey has already been appointed to lead a commission into social care, but Downing Street insisted the two pieces of work would not clash, saying her work on grooming gangs would be finished by the start of April.

In her statement, Cooper also announced she would be asking chief constables in England and Wales to re-examine historic gang exploitation cases and re-open investigations "were appropriate". This would be backed by £2.5m of funding, she said.

More victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation will be able to seek an independent review of their cases, the government has said.

'We've been fighting for this'

On the same day Cooper was delivering her statement, BBC News spent time with four survivors of historic sex abuse in Oldham.

They had travelled to Birmingham to meet Jess Phillips, the government minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls.

Listening to Cooper's statement, "Sarah" and "Amelia" exchanged a hug.

"We've been fighting for this," they said through tears.

After spending time with Phillips, Amelia said: "I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm satisfied for now but actions speak louder than words."

But survivors "Sam" and "Jane" were not satisfied and said they did not feel they had been listened to.

"We want a government inquiry into Oldham and into other towns," Sam told the BBC.

"We know what is right and what is wrong. We know that a government-led inquiry differs from a council-led inquiry."

The women expressed their frustration that the government decision for Thursday's announcement was already made before their meeting had taken place.

"It's not just us being let down," Jane explained. "We're survivors, we've been through what we've been through.

"It's the children now and other people going through it, we don't want them to be let down.

"That's the whole point of what we're fighting for. We will not allow them to be let down in any shape or form. We will always stand up for them"

"Sarah," "Amelia" and "Jane" are not the real names of these women, whose identities the BBC is protecting.

Last week, Sarah, Jane and Amelia all spoke to the BBC about their concerns, here.

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