17 Jun HEIDI ALEXANDER BLAMES TORIES FOR ‘ZERO ACTION’ ON GROOMING GANGS
TRANSPORT Secretary Heidi Alexander has criticised the Conservatives for failing to establish a national inquiry into grooming gangs while the party was in government.
She told GB News: “I think we’ve been clear that the most important thing for this government is the protection of vulnerable children, and we need to stamp out this vile crime that is being perpetrated by these grooming gangs.
“We’re determined to do that, and we need to ensure justice for the victims who have endured being ignored for far too long now. This government has been in power for 11 months. This issue spans back many decades.
“The Conservative Party, who were in government for 14 years, had 20 months between the publication of the Jay report, which followed the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. There were a number of recommendations there.
“There were 20 months before the general election happened. They took precisely zero action. When we came in, we got on with implementing those recommendations from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. The Home Secretary in January also ordered police forces across the country to reopen closed cases, and as a result of that, over 800 cases that relate to grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation have been reopened.
“Of course, the Prime Minister in addition to those local reviews that were underway in some places, asked Baroness Louise Casey, who is an independent, very well respected public servant, to do a national rapid audit of what evidence there was about whether there should be a national inquiry.
“Louise Casey herself, at the start of that process, said that she, at the beginning, didn’t think that there was a need for one. She came to a different conclusion as she went around the country and collated evidence, she then made a recommendation to the Prime Minister in a report that she submitted about a week ago.
“Within days, the Prime Minister reviewed that report, read every page of it, and has said that he will be accepting all of the recommendations, and that’s why you saw the Home Secretary stand up in the House of Commons yesterday and announce that we will take forward that national inquiry with the power to compel witnesses and compel evidence being provided, so that once and for all, we can stamp out these vile, heinous crimes.
‘And I should just say, I don’t care who is committing these crimes. I don’t care what the colour of their skin is. They should be brought to justice, and the victims should be listened to, and should get the justice that they deserve.”
Asked if politicians and civil servants would be exempt for being compelled to give evidence, she said: “I can tell you that it is being set up under the inquiries act. It will be a national inquiry with the ability to compel evidence from individuals and compel evidence being provided by organisations.
“It will sit alongside the local inquiries, so that we can provide some oversight and overview to it, but it is going to be a national inquiry set up under the inquiries act. One of the things that Louise Casey did say, and I think she is right to say, is…think about the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse that took place under the last government that took seven years.
“I don’t think anyone would suggest for one moment that we can wait another seven years to get to the bottom of this, and so we probably do need to operate it in a slightly different way, but there will be no stone left unturned in providing justice for the victims of these heinous and horrific crimes.”
