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Sam FrancisPolitical reporter
The Conservatives have set out proposals for a judge-led inquiry to replace the government’s delayed investigation into grooming gangs.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour lacked “the political courage” to deliver its promised national inquiry, which still lacks a chair more than six months after it was announced.
Badenoch said her plans were drawn up “with survivors and advocates”, and would ensure the investigation examines the role of ethnicity and religion in the scandal.
A Labour spokesperson said the government has been working “tirelessly to prepare the most robust possible approach” including “consulting closely with a wide range of victims and survivors”.
The government’s efforts to establish a national inquiry have stalled since Sir Keir Starmer announced plans in June, following months of political debate.
The government said the Independent Commission on Grooming Gangs (ICCG) would “co-ordinate a series of targeted local investigations” into the group-based child sexual exploitation of girls by grooming gangs.
The ICCG will have legal powers to direct targeted investigations in local areas and summon witnesses to give evidence.
But the process has been beset by controversy including the resignations of four women from its victim liaison panel calling for Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips to resign.
Another five abuse survivors have written to the prime minister to say they would only continue to work with the inquiry if Phillips keeps her job.
In October, the government warned choosing an inquiry chair could take months after two leading candidates pulled out.
The Conservatives have called on the government to scrap the inquiry and launch a fresh investigation.
Under their plans, the investigation would examine the ethnicity and religious background of grooming gangs, place a two-year time limit on the inquiry and focus it on non-familiar abuse.
Speaking at a press conference in central London, Badenoch said: “I want to be clear that a national inquiry must leave no stone unturned.
“This is about survivors and what they want. We must give a voice to the voiceless.”
Badenoch called on ministers “to do the right thing and act now”.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “We are being constructive here. We’ve proposed a detailed set of terms of reference.
“We’ve gone through them with the survivors, the advocates, the families.
“This shows it can be done. The government has had six months to do this and they haven’t done it and by publishing this today, we’re showing it can be done.”
On Monday, the prime minister’s official spokesman said the government hopes to provide an update on the grooming gangs inquiry “shortly”.
A “huge amount of work” had been under way over the last few months to get the inquiry “up and running”, the spokesman added.
Separately, a Labour spokesperson said that the Conservatives had “shamefully failed to implement a single recommendation” from Professor Alexis Jay’s seven-year investigation into child sexual abuse, which reported in October 2022.
“Their record on this issue is clear: they had years to take action on this appalling scandal, yet time and time again they failed to do so.”
The government is “committed to a full, statutory, national inquiry to uncover the truth” which will “explicitly examine the background, ethnicity and culture of offenders,” the spokesperson added.
