UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warns Reform UK’s Nigel Farage’s grooming gangs “solution” risks collapsing trials and calls for a full national inquiry for justice.
As reported by The Telegraph, Kemi Badenoch warns Nigel Farage’s plans on grooming gangs could collapse legal trials.
Nigel Farage proposed that MPs run the crisis-hit inquiry as a select committee with a joint commission involving the Lords.
What did Kemi Badenoch say about Nigel Farage’s grooming plan?
Kemi Badenoch said Reform UK’s proposal could backfire and prejudice ongoing court cases.
She stated,
“I don’t believe that that is actually going to work. We have seen cases where evidence given in parliamentary select committees becomes inadmissible.”
Ms Badenoch said,
“They could prejudice a court case and also you can’t discuss matters that are sub judice in parliament. So from what I know, that is not a workable plan,”
adding,
“What we need is a national inquiry. I’ve been calling for this since January.”
How did Reform UK respond to Kemi Badenoch’s criticism?
A Reform UK spokesperson said,
“Kemi Badenoch was women and equalities minister for two years and never once mentioned the grooming gangs in the House of Commons.”
They added,
“Quite simply, she ignored this issue unlike Nigel Farage who has been raising this issue since 2013. The Tories and Kemi can never be trusted, they have failed the victims for time and time again.”
Why is the national grooming gangs inquiry facing delays?
Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage pushed for a national grooming gangs inquiry in January amid public outrage.
Initially, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer rejected their call for a fresh inquiry, accusing critics of riding a “far-Right bandwagon.”
After facing pressure, the Prime Minister agreed in June to commission a national inquiry following Baroness Casey’s audit.
The launch of the inquiry is expected to be delayed for months after its leading candidate for chairman withdrew last week.
Following the withdrawal of lead candidate Jim Gamble, a former police officer, and Annie Hudson, ex-Lambeth children’s services director, the inquiry has no candidates left.
All five grooming survivors on the advisory panel resigned, insisting the inquiry should be led by a judge, but Downing Street has ruled this out.
What did Nigel Farage say about a new grooming gangs subcommittee?
Nigel Farage said he plans to meet Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and write to Dame Karen Bradley to push for a parliamentary subcommittee to investigate the grooming gangs scandal.
He suggested the subcommittee could mirror the independent banking commission set up after the financial crisis.
The Reform leader accused the Prime Minister of lacking focus, saying a new approach was needed to tackle the grooming gangs issue.
He added,
“I am saying, here is the most enormous opportunity for Parliament, and indeed for this Government, to restore some public trust in the institution and those that currently inhabit it on an issue that has been gnawing away at our public consciences for well over a decade.”
Ellie-Ann Reynolds, one of the five women who resigned from the victims liaison panel, joined the event.
Ms Reynolds called the inquiry as having a “very gaslighting and manipulative atmosphere,” adding, “We all went on to do the right thing, and that was to seek justice.”
She added, “That was to find the truth, to not be silenced anymore, and to be able to help our future.”
What did Shabana Mahmood say about the grooming gangs inquiry?
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pledged the grooming gangs inquiry would leave “no hiding place” after the investigation descended into chaos.
She insisted the inquiry’s scope will remain unchanged and will focus on how the most vulnerable were abused “at the hands of predatory offenders.”
Ms Mahmood said,
“It is essential that the victims themselves are at the heart of this inquiry. It was for that reason that we set up a victims group to support the inquiry in its inception, and throughout its work. It was with a heavy heart, in recent days, I learnt that some members have decided to step away from the group.”
She stated,
“There will be no hiding place for those who abused the most vulnerable in our society. Nor will those who ignored victims, and even covered up what occurred, be shielded from the truth.”
What did the Home Office say about the grooming gangs inquiry?
A Home Office spokesperson stated,
“The abuse of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable.”
They added,
“Any suggestion that this inquiry is being watered down is completely wrong – we are committed to delivering a robust, thorough inquiry that will get to the truth and provide the answers that survivors have so long campaigned for.”
What are grooming gangs, and how many victims are there?
Grooming gangs are groups of individuals who use a process of manipulation and coercion, known as grooming, to sexually exploit children. This often involves using tactics to gain their trust with gifts, attention, or drugs, before subjecting them to sexual abuse.
Local inquiries into major scandals have revealed the scale in specific towns. An inquiry found that at least 1,400 children were abused over 16 years in Rotherham, and over 1,000 children were estimated to be victims over three decades in Telford.
The inquiry is currently facing challenges due to the unavailability of a chief and the resignation of survivors from the advisory panel.