Opposition challenges Badenoch’s stance on addressing historical failings in grooming gang cases
Labour has criticized the previous Conservative administration for what it describes as a complete failure to act on recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), led by Alexis Jay.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has indicated limited interest in examining her party’s past handling of grooming gang cases. Speaking at a press conference, she stated she doesn’t wish to “build a time machine” to revisit what might have been done differently. Labour responded by highlighting that the former government implemented none of IICSA’s recommendations.
Ms Badenoch held the conference as efforts to establish a Labour-promised national inquiry have encountered difficulties. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the investigation in June, but progress stalled in October when the final two prospective chairs withdrew, citing concerns about their links to police and social services.
At the event, which included survivors, Ms Badenoch called on the government to adopt Conservative-proposed terms of reference. These would mandate examining the ethnic and religious backgrounds of perpetrators under judicial leadership, with religious institutions and state bodies potentially required to provide testimony.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp proposed that dual citizens convicted in such cases should lose British citizenship and face deportation, stating the country doesn’t want such individuals present.
Questions arose about the Conservatives’ own track record. In 2018, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid commissioned research into perpetrator characteristics and ethnicity. The 2020 findings indicated offenders came from varied backgrounds, though inadequate data collection hindered definitive conclusions about ethnicity.
When asked whether the previous government had failed to improve data gathering, Ms Badenoch acknowledged ongoing challenges despite considerable effort. She noted that Labour now holds responsibility for taking necessary action, adding that while IICSA conducted extensive work over many years, its broad scope meant this specific issue wasn’t its primary focus.
