National inquiry into organised criminal groups

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me regarding the Prime Minister’s decision to hold a national inquiry into organised criminal groups grooming young vulnerable girls – ‘grooming gangs.’ 

This decision follows Baroness Casey’s ‘rapid national audit’ of previous investigations into child sexual exploitation. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, commissioned this audit specifically “to look at the issue of ethnicity and the cultural and social drivers of this type of offending.” 

Prior to Baroness Casey’s audit, the Government was following the findings of Prof. Alexis Jay ‘s seven-year long independent investigation into child sexual abuse. In 2022, she made 20 recommendations to Government to ensure that the scandal could not be repeated. The previous Government failed to implement any of these recommendations. Earlier this year she repeated her call for action saying:  

“We’ve had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions – especially for the victims and survivors who’ve had the courage to come forward.” 

Although Baroness Casey herself did not initially believe that a new national inquiry was needed, as her audit progressed, she identified the “reluctance of local areas to face up to the facts that they didn’t treat victims well enough”. She has therefore recommended that a new national inquiry should take place, and I am pleased the Government has agreed to this. 

Importantly, the Government is also planning to go further and take action, as set out by the Home Secretary recently in the House of Commons: 

“I do not believe that the law we have inherited is strong enough, so we are bringing forward a change to the law, so that anyone convicted of sexual offences is excluded from the asylum system and denied refugee status. We have already increased the removal of foreign national offenders by 14% since the election, and we are drawing up new arrangements to identify and remove those who have committed a much wider range of offences.” 

I want to briefly address the misinformation surrounding votes on this issue. There has not been a specific vote on holding a national inquiry. Instead, earlier this year, opposition parties tried to amend the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This Bill not only set out plans to improve the quality of education in our schools but also contained two of Prof. Jay’s recommendations. Had the opposition’s “wrecking” amendments passed, they would not have brought about a national inquiry but would have prevented the bill becoming law, meaning no free breakfast clubs, no cheaper school uniforms, and no protection for vulnerable children in our communities. I voted for the Bill, to support breaking down barriers to opportunity and for additional safeguards for our children. 

You can read my previous comments on this here: https://www.amandahack.com/the-childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill/  

I will always continue to advocate for the reduction of violence against women and girls and have spoken in the Chamber at Prime Minister’s Questions about doing so.