Keir Starmer’s government failed to publish an outline of its proposals for its own inquiry into the ‘grooming gangs’ phenomena by the end of May, a deadline it set for itself.
This could embarrass the under-fire Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, who apologised in the Commons for the delay. She said that the colleague responsible, Baroness Louise Casey has requested a “short extension” for the audit, which is expected “very shortly.”
Parliament has often used inquiries to deflect and manage public anger, ‘kicking it into the long grass,’ in the jargon. However, there is widespread support for a national investigation into the organised, predominantly Pakistani-heritage groups of rapists which have operated in British towns and cities since at least the late 1980s. A statutory inquiry would have the power to compel witnesses, which matters because of the evidence suggesting authorities covered up and even colluded with the gangs, typically in order to protect ‘good community relations.’
At the time of writing, the format of the investigation is to fund five toothless, discretionary local council (i.e. municipal) inquiries. Now the government has broken its pledge to publish the details of how this would work.
