Home Secretary threatened with legal action over grooming scandal
The Home Secretary is reportedly set to announce a series of local reviews into grooming gangs after she was threatened with legal action.
Maggie Oliver, a former detective who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012, warned Yvette Cooper in a pre-action letter on Wednesday that she would take her to court unless she takes “urgent steps to allay widespread public concern” over gangs sexually exploiting children.
The news comes just before Ms Cooper is set to make a statement in the Commons on child sexual exploitation and abuse on Thursday afternoon.
According to the BBC, Ms Cooper will announce a £10 million plan to launch local inquiries into grooming gangs which will focus on the “cultural drivers” and ethnicity of the gangs.
Cold cases
Ms Cooper is also expected to ask police forces to reopen so-called cold cases relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse, the BBC said.
In a statement from the charity set up in her name, Ms Oliver said she had put Ms Cooper “on notice” that she would seek a judicial review in the High Court unless the Home Secretary “publicly confirms that she will implement all 20 of the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and publishes a timetable for implementation of those recommendations, and takes urgent steps to allay widespread public concern regarding the grooming and sexual abuse by organised gangs/groups”.
If Ms Cooper “does not agree to these reasonable requests”, Ms Oliver added: “I will issue an application to the High Court seeking permission to challenge the Secretary of State’s refusal to take action on urgent issues of child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation.
“I recognise that there are a range of views on these issues amongst survivors, victims and other interested parties.
“However, I would ask all persons who are concerned about children to support my request for urgent, tangible and transparent action to combat the epidemic of abuse of children.”
Musk
It comes as the political debate over the grooming scandal continued to rage in the wake of a slew of attacks online from tech billionaire X-owner Elon Musk aimed at Sir Keir Starmer.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has repeatedly clashed with the Prime Minister over calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is among Labour figures supporting the move as well as Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden and Rotherham MP Sarah Champion.
The Government has resisted pressure for a fresh review in favour of locally-led probes, saying it is instead focused on implementing recommendations the findings from IICSA after the inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay published its final report in 2022.
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So Musk v our Uk government , 1 to nil.
And that is all our governments seem to be doing. Arguing about grooming gangs. Everything else is discarded.
Just implement the recommendations of the last inquiry and it will address all the issues with managing the gangs and preventing further harm.
She is live now. The shadow justice secretary Jenrick is not there. Her commentary says far too little action to date, that means the Cons. Cons are not happy they are found out and pretending they were not in power. Cons continue to try to pin this on Labour. Despicable.
All recent holders of that office should already be on remand in that case…
I have lost count of vastly expensive, time-consuming Government &/or Public Enquiries that eventually and often unwillingly publish their findings… and nothing happens. No recommendations followed, lessons learned ignored.
And curiously, only Deputy Heads (if any) ever roll.
Still, at least it keeps lawyers in the luxury to which they are accustomed.