#grooming-gangs-inquiry

#grooming-gangs-inquiry

Constance has been given a written reprimand and told to make a statement to parliament to update the official record. The row dates back to September, when the justice secretary quoted Prof Jay - who is overseeing a review of the evidence on grooming gangs in Scotland - in parliament and told MSPs that the expert did not support further grooming gang inquiries. However, Prof Jay later contacted the government to clarify that her remarks did not refer to inquiries in Scotland.

Opposition MSPs have accused Constance of misrepresenting UK grooming gangs expert Prof Alexis Jay when she said that the academic "did not support further inquiries" into child sexual abuse and exploitation. The Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats are backing motions of no confidence in the minister. While Constance has insisted she gave an accurate account of Prof Jay's views, her critics say newly published emails between the government and the academic show parliament was misled.

A minister has said the government has full confidence in Jess Phillips after four abuse survivors called for her resignation as a condition for their participation in the national grooming gangs inquiry. The crisis engulfing the inquiry deepened on Wednesday as the four survivors accused Phillips of betrayal and said she was unfit to oversee a process that requires survivors to trust the government. But a government minister insisted on Thursday that Phillips would stay in post as safeguarding minister,

One of the reasons why Shabana Mahmood was appointed home secretary was because, as justice secretary, when the Tories came at her with a two-tier justice attack line that was being enthusiastically embraced by the rightwing media, she saw them off swiftly and effectively (essentially, by coopting the argument and responding). Today she is performing a similar rebuttal operation on the grooming gangs inquiry, which is another area where the Daily Mail/GB News etc are on the warpath and the government is floundering.

I want local residents to be aware that I have received threats of death and violence directly posted in response to a misleading video recently shared by the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, Robbie Moore. These have been reported to the police, and an investigation is currently under way. It is irresponsible behaviour for any MP of any party to put out such blatant misinformation about a colleague.