The home secretary has announced a multi-million plan for government-backed local inquiries into grooming gangs.
Five new inquiries, including one in Oldham, will be assisted by central government, with £5m of funding.
They will be advised by Tom Crowther KC, who led the Telford grooming gang inquiry published in 2022.
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Rotherham’s Labour MP Sarah Champion criticised the new inquiries for not having the power to summon witnesses to give evidence, but Ms Cooper said there would be “new arrangements on accountability”.
The evidence gathered is not expected to be fed back to the Home Office for a national response.
The home secretary told the Commons there will also be a short national report that will bring together data gathered so far on grooming gangs and consider lessons that should be learnt at a national level.
The “rapid audit” is set to only take three months and will be overseen by Baroness Casey, who is also leading an independent commission into adult social care.
Ms Cooper’s announcement came a day after Maggie Oliver, an ex-detective who resigned in 2012 over Manchester Police’s failure to address grooming gangs, had put Ms Cooper “on notice” the day before about possible legal action if she did not support “my request for urgent, tangible and transparent action to combat the epidemic of abuse of children”.
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Rotherham MP Sarah Champion criticised the new inquiry for not having the power to summon witnesses to give evidence. Pic: Parliament TV
As part of the plans, the government will encourage police forces to reopen cold cases, and victims to come forward with historical cases.
The home secretary said she is writing to the National Police Chiefs Council to ask all chief constables to look again at previous gang exploitation cases where no further action was taken and to work with the police’s child sexual exploitation task force to pursue new lines of inquiry and reopen investigations where appropriate.
She said the child sexual abuse review panel, which alleged victims can request to re-open cases where police decided no further action should be taken, will now look at cases after June 2013. Currently, they can only look at cases before that.
Police, the task force and the child sexual abuse review panel will be given £2 million in additional funding.
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Elon Musk has been attacking Sir Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips for their roles in historical grooming gang scandals. Pic: Reuters
The home secretary also announced the government will implement all the remaining recommendations of the national grooming gangs inquiry carried out by Professor Alexis Jay and published in 2022.
None of the 20 recommendations were implemented until the government announced some measures last week.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp called the announcement of “just five local rape gang inquiries is totally inadequate”.
He said: “Up to 50 towns are affected, what about the rest – don’t they matter?”
The Tory MP also said it appears the local inquiries will not have the legal powers to compel witnesses to attend, take evidence under oath and requisition written evidence.
He called for a “full national public inquiry with the powers needed to compel evidence”.
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Grooming victim calls for new inquiry
Ms Cooper’s announcement comes a fortnight after the grooming gangs scandal returned to the headlines after it emerged safeguarding minister Jess Phillips rejected calls from Oldham Council for a government inquiry into historical grooming gangs in the town, with Ms Phillips saying the council should lead an inquiry instead.
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump, jumped on the news and attacked both Ms Phillips and Sir Keir Starmer for his response to the scandal while he was director of public prosecutions.
The prime minister hit back at Mr Musk, saying his record shows how he tackled the issue head-on.
Opposition MPs have called for a national inquiry but the government has said there already was one – carried out by Professor Alexis Jay.