Greater Manchester (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has backed calls for a limited national inquiry into grooming gangs, stating that local reviews lack the legal authority.
On Wednesday, MPs dismissed a Conservative amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools legislation, which proposed a new national investigation into grooming gangs.
As reported by The Guardian, Burnham stated on Thursday,
“I did hear last night coming out of that debate ministers saying they are open to discussing issues now with survivors.”
Burnham criticizes local reviews
Mr Burnham said,
“I support a limited national inquiry that builds on reviews from places like Oldham, Rotherham, and Telford, to address national issues and hold people accountable.”
The mayor asserted that the abuse reviews he commissioned had limited impact because they lacked the legal authority of a national inquiry.
The mayor defended the MPs’ decision to reject the “opportunism” of the Conservative-led vote in the Commons.
Lisa Nandy responds to Burnham’s call for a limited inquiry
On ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Lisa Nandy acknowledged Burnham’s suggestion, agreeing that a more focused national inquiry could tackle issues his local investigation missed.
She stated,
“I do understand that, because of the inquiry that we had here in Greater Manchester, astonishingly, some of the Greater Manchester police officers refused to even take part, and the local inquiry couldn’t compel them to do so.”
She went on to say that while she understood Burnham’s concerns, the national inquiry was created under Theresa May’s government, which lasted seven years and heard evidence from thousands of victims, especially due to the points Burnham raised.
Ms Nandy stated the previous inquiry’s investigation found that young girls were overlooked because of their age, gender, and working-class status, while the protective systems failed to prioritize their safety.
Elon Musk sparks controversy over Oldham inquiry
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a close associate of newly elected President Donald Trump, accused Sir Keir Starmer of concealing child abuse cases during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions and demanded his resignation last month.
The tech mogul also launched attacks on social media against Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, calling her a “rape genocide apologist” over her rejection of a nationwide inquiry into child sexual violence in Oldham. He said Phillips “deserves to be in prison.”
Keir Starmer response to Elon Musk
Earlier this week, in a speech on NHS reform, Sir Starmer responded to Elon Musk’s recent criticism, which included claims that he was involved in covering up grooming gang cases. Asked about Musk’s suggestion that the US should “liberate” Britain, the prime minister dismissed it, saying,
“I don’t really have any comments on the particular comment that was made this morning by Musk.”
He also defended the safeguarding minister and praised her work.
British PM’s views on grooming gangs inquiries
Sir Starmer has strongly opposed the calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, arguing that it would hinder urgent legislative measures designed at safeguarding children.
After MPs in the House of Commons rejected a Conservative proposal for a new inquiry, the prime minister stated that multiple investigations have already taken place. He warned that additional inquiries could delay the implementation of suggestions from reports like the 2014 Jay Report, which revealed serious shortcomings in addressing child sexual exploitation.
What is the grooming gang issue?
In 2012, the Times newspaper disclosed the Rotherham grooming gang scandal, prompting a large-scale inquiry. Prof Alexis Jay’s 2014 investigation discovered that at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited in the town between 1997 and 2013, resulting in extensive media coverage and parliamentary debate.
Govt to enforce mandatory child abuse reporting
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, stated that the government would begin to adopt Prof Alexis Jay’s call for mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse, with more details expected to be revealed soon.