Why is there a national inquiry into grooming gangs and how is it going?

"A national inquiry into grooming gangs was announced by Keir Starmer in June but it is yet to get under way. So far, a suitable judge has not been identified, one of two named candidates to become its chair has said she will not stand and three survivors have stepped down from the panel overseeing the recruitment. It followed disclosures over many years that thousands of girls and women across UK towns and cities were groomed and raped by street-based groups."

"In a majority of these gangs, there appeared to be a pattern of men, often of Asian and Pakistani origin, grooming vulnerable girls. Nearly all of the cases were historical and date back to the 90s and 00s. Grooming gangs were among the issues looked at by an independent inquiry into institutional sexual abuse of children which also covered child exploitation by organised networks, as well as abuse within the care system, in penal institutions, and in the Catholic and the Anglican Church."

Keir Starmer announced a national inquiry into grooming gangs in June, but the inquiry has not begun. No suitable judge has been identified, one of two named chair candidates declined to stand, and three survivors resigned from the recruitment oversight panel. Disclosures revealed thousands of girls and women across UK towns and cities were groomed and raped by street-based groups, mostly in the 1990s and 2000s, often involving men of Asian and Pakistani origin. A 2015 inquiry led by Prof Alexis Jay reported in 2022, but survivors and legal representatives said it did not go far enough. An audit by Louise Casey ordered a new national inquiry, yet tensions over terms and leadership continue.

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