Alexis Jay, chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), has called for urgent action rather than further inquiries, as political tensions over the government’s handling of grooming gangs continue to grow.
Jay, who led the inquiry into historic child sexual abuse cases in Rochdale, Rotherham, and other parts of the UK, stressed the need for local implementation of the IICSA’s recommendations, which were published in October 2022 after reviewing evidence from 7,000 individuals over seven years.
“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 they clearly want action.
“We have set out what action is required and people should just get on with it. Locally and nationally,” Jay told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme.
Her comments come amid a heated political debate involving UK politicians and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk recently criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, claiming he failed to prosecute “rape gangs” during his tenure as director of public prosecutions. The X owner also suggested that safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in prison” after denying requests for a public inquiry in Oldham.
Starmer has defended his record, stating he tackled child grooming gangs head-on and prosecuted record numbers of cases during his tenure.
“Those spreading misinformation are not interested in the victims,” Starmer said.
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, however, has called for a full national inquiry into grooming gangs, disagreeing with Phillips’s decision to reject Oldham Council’s request for a government-led investigation into exploitation cases from 2011 to 2014.
Inquiry Recommendations
The IICSA report issued 107 recommendations in total, including the introduction of mandatory reporting of abuse and establishing a national redress scheme for survivors.The report also called for the creation of a unified database of paedophiles in England and Wales. It recommended that staff working in children’s homes be registered and subject to oversight by an independent body, with the power to strike them off for misconduct.
Another key proposal was the establishment of separate Child Protection Authorities for England and Wales. These authorities would oversee inspections of children’s homes and other facilities to ensure the highest standards of safety and care.
The government also plans to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences and introduce a clear new policing framework.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that under Labour the number of arrests by the child sexual exploitation police taskforce has increased by 25 percent.
Jay has acknowledged that plans for new legislation announced by Cooper had happened quicker than they might otherwise have done.
Division Among MPs
Cooper also confirmed that data on ethnicity of the perpetrators is being published but requires further work to improve accuracy.This comes amid claims by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick that Pakistani men are “over-represented in those who are involved in the grooming gangs.”
“We can’t dismiss that and I’m not going to sanitise or tiptoe around this issue,” Jenrick said.
Independent MP for Leicester South, Shockat Adam, has warned that demonising an entire community could give potential victims “a false sense of security with individuals who don’t fit that stereotype.”
“This narrative is false and dangerous,” Adam said. “Reports from 2015 to 2024 consistently conclude that the common denominator for sexual violence is not immigration, race, or culture.”
Responding to his remarks, Cooper noted that one of the main points made by the IICSA was the “broad scope of this abuse and how it can be found anywhere.”
