Professor Alexis Jay said the ‘time has passed for more inquiries’ despite the Tories and Reform agitating for one – saying the Government must focus on action to protect children
The head of a seven-year inquiry into child sexual abuse has warned a national grooming gangs probe would lead to more delays – at a time when victims desperately need action.
Professor Alexis Jay hit out at those politicising the suffering of grooming gang victims, and said the focus must be on finally changing the law to protect children. It comes as the Government announced it would bring in mandatory reporting of sex abuse – 10 years after Labour first called for it.
The Government has rejected carrying out another probe, saying it will focus on implementing recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Prof Jay, who chaired the IICSA, told the BBC’s Today Programme: “I think that the time has passed for more inquiries. We’ve had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions, and especially for those victims and survivors who’ve had the courage to come forward.
“And there are many of them across the piece in child sexual abuse, not simply child sexual exploitation. They clearly want action.
“And we have set out what action is required and people should just get on with it locally and nationally.”
Prof Jay voiced her frustration over people wading in “in a very uninformed way”, but refused to criticise Elon Musk by name. The world’s richest man has come under fire after directing a barage of abuse at Keir Starmer and Home Office Minister Jess Phillips over grooming gangs.
Asked if she was upset with those wading in, Prof Jay said: “I would not attribute that to everyone, but I certainly been very unhappy about the the politicisation of child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse and the way that many people – sometimes in a very uninformed way – have waded into the argument.”
On Wednesday Kemi Badenoch is expected to try and force a vote on whether a national inquiry on grooming gangs is required. But Prof Jay said the row is “distracting from the issues”.
She said: “I have heard very little in the last few days about the appalling and lifelong effects that child sexual abuse can have on people. I am pleased that the subject matter and the inquiry recommendations are finally getting the attention they deserve but this is definitely not the way I would have chosen for it to happen, but it has had the effect of moving on the agenda.”
The Tories – who commissioned Prof Jay’s review in the first place – say the inquiry did not go far enough.
On Monday Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the Government will make it mandatory to report abuse. A victims and survivors panel will also be set up to advise on “wider work around child sexual exploitation and abuse”.
Ms Cooper told the Commons: “These crimes have not been taken seriously for too long and far too many children have been failed. That is why this Government is determined to act – strengthening the law, taking forward recommendations from the independent inquiries, supporting stronger police action and protection for victims.”
Responding to demands from Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp for a grooming gang inquiry, Ms Cooper said: “The truth is there just has not been enough action to tackle these vile crimes. There hasn’t been enough change to policies, to the way in which services operate at local level, and that is a deep failing that those changes have not taken place.”
The Home Secretary pointed out that Labour called for it to be mandatory to report abuse 10 years ago, adding: “We called for it 10 years ago. He had a decade in order to introduce that, a decade that we have now lost without having those powers and those measures in place.”