Farage ‘cover up’ claims fall flat after inquiry error revealed
Emily Price
Accusations from Nigel Farage of a Welsh Government “cover up” have fallen flat after it was confirmed that a mistake had been made in a report on the child grooming gangs scandal.
On Monday (June 16), Reform UK’s leader shared a screen grab to his social media channels of a paragraph from Baroness Louise Casey’s report into group-based sexual exploitation.
It stated: “We also sought data from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Government of Wales on how many cases of child sexual abuse or exploitation they see in health services, but have only been able to obtain data from Sexual Assault Referral Centres (England).”
Sharing a screen grab of the report to X, Reform’s leader wrote: “Has the cover up already begin? This deserves answers.”
His post has racked up over 360,000 views so far.
Accusation
Farage’s accusation came after the Welsh Conservatives shared the same details to their social media channels saying “serious questions” needed to be asked of Wales’ Labour government.
In the Senedd on Tuesday (June 17) Shadow Counsel General Tom Giffard pressed his counterpart Julie James for an explanation on why the Welsh Government hadn’t handed over the requested data to Baroness Casey.
Ms James said she didn’t know why the document stated Welsh child sexual exploitation details were missing, adding that the Welsh Government would “cooperate fully” with the report and provide any details requested.
Correction
The Welsh Government confirmed to Nation.Cymru on Wednesday (June 18) that the administration was never asked to provide data on how many cases of child sexual abuse or exploitation are seen the health service.
Baroness Casey’s report will be now be corrected.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The Casey Audit team has confirmed that the Welsh Government provided the information they requested.
“They have also confirmed that they did not specifically request data on child sexual abuse and exploitation cases seen in health services.
“They will be correcting the report.”
Scandal
Baroness Casey’s independent review into abuse carried out by grooming gangs in England and Wales, was published earlier this week.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, later announced a statutory inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.
The Welsh Government has said it will cooperate fully with the investigation.
Earlier this year, the UK Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay.
Prof Jay’s 2022 report concluded there had been institutional failings across the UK with tens of thousands of victims affected in England and Wales.
In February, the Senedd rejected calls for a Wales specific inquiry into grooming gangs after a Welsh victim warned that child sexual exploitation was still going on across the country.
Sir Keir Starmer says the new UK-wide probe will be implemented under the Inquiries Act, which will take “a bit of time to sort out” and would be done in “an orderly way”.
This means the inquiry will be able to compel witnesses to give evidence.
Row
A national row over grooming gangs was ignited in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk launched an attack on the Prime Minister and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.
It followed the UK Government’s decision to decline a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town.
The UK Government later commissioned a “rapid” audit by Lady Casey into the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, which had been due to take three months but was delayed.
Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage said the move was a “welcome U-turn” and would “expose the multiple failings of the British establishment”.
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If he really genuinely cared for the wellbeing of girls here in the UK he would have demanded both this present and the past governments to implement the recommendations of the Jay report.
The problem is almost no one in Wales will be aware that the original claim in the casey report was wrong – but many alas will be aware of Farage’s claim (and believe it to be true). This episode is another reminder the Welsh political class have little idea of how to combat reform and counter their dog whistle propaganda. Does Julie James and the her Welsh govt really think anyone in Wales will be aware of her statement in the Senedd on this? The sad truth is few people in Wales – outside of party hacks and journos –… Read more »
faridge don’t care, he has lobbed out the racist red meat and its off an running, much like his attempts during the race riots. This is how the far right works.
The obvious problem here is that it’s been said, and jumped upon by those seeking to make political capital from it. Once on social media, these things hover around like a bad smell (360,000 views already) with activists using it as supposed ‘evidence’ of corruption for a long time to come.
Will Farage now volunteer a retraction and maybe an apology to his followers?
Oh yeah, where is he today?
https://www.desmog.com/2025/06/18/nigel-farage-55-tufton-street-event-heartland-institute-gwpf/
If Farage genuinely cared for the victims of sexual assault, he’d never have described himself as “part of the same phenomenon” as Andrew Tate.
Our boy Ed Sumner is again working his magic!
Nigel would never let a fact get in the way of an attack.
Too bigoted to think.
Too lazy to check.
Too willing to say or do anything to keep his nasty froggy face on the front page.
Was the claim about the DHSC also wrong?
He hates the yopung, he robbed them with his brexit. Yet he sides with convicted sexual predators like Trump. I don’t want to hear him say anything about this subject, he is immoral and corrupt