by Charles Hymas, Telegraph
Government says it will adopt ‘flexible approach’ with other options open to councils including local panels and audits
Labour has dropped its plans for five local grooming gang inquiries.
In January, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, told MPs that the Government would provide £5 million to support up to five initial local inquiries modelled on the judge-led one into grooming gangs in Telford.
However, on Tuesday Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister, announced that “following feedback” the Government would adopt a “flexible approach” where the money would be available for local councils to use as they wished to support grooming gang work.
She said that this could mean full independent local inquiries, but could also include “more bespoke work, including local victims’ panels or locally led audits of the handling of historical cases”.
The Conservatives accused Labour of watering down its response to the grooming gangs inquiry in an announcement just 45 minutes before Parliament broke for recess.
Home Office sources insisted that the change did not necessarily mean that the five inquiries would not go ahead but rather ministers had decided to not be prescriptive following the local consultation.
‘Not good enough’
But Katie Lam, the shadow Home Office minister, said: “Local inquiries are not good enough – they can’t compel witnesses, they can’t look at themes across the country, and they can’t address national issues like deportation. Now the Government is watering them down even further. We won’t let them get away with it.”
Must watch: Katie Lam in Parliament challenging this decision.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1909634504601333930
Since the rape gangs scandal went global, the UK government have – Voted against a national inquiry – Promised 5 local non-statuatory inquiries – Sacked the KC in charge – Cut the funding – Gave Ministers 45 minutes notice today for an announcement that the inquiries won’t happen – Connor Tomlinson, GB News
Comment on X from broadcaster Colin Brazier: Translation: (of Jess Phillips’ plan) “We listened to your grievances about rape gangs (while worried Reform was leaving Labour behind in the polls). “And we realised, if we waited a bit, we could quietly ditch inquiries which many of our client communities found objectionable.”