Keir Starmer has succumbed to political pressure and agreed to hold a public inquiry into grooming gangs. This follows Baroness Casey’s report into “group based sexual exploitation”.

I have been bringing compensation claims for survivors of grooming gangs for over 10 years. I remember the day clearly when Maggie Oliver walked into my office to introduce two new clients who had suffered terrible abuse in Rochdale. What she told me was difficult to believe at the time but after 10 years of working with clients who have been exploited by gangs, I have learnt a lot.

I was asked by the media to comment on the proposed statutory inquiry and spoke to various clients to obtain their views. They expressed concerns, which I share. They questioned what a further inquiry could achieve when this problem has already been addressed in various previous inquiries and the findings of those inquiries have been ignored by successive governments.

My personal concern is the failure to implement the 20 recommendations of Professor Jay following the IICSA inquiry. I gave evidence to the inquiry on various occasions. The inquiry heard from many experts in the area alongside survivors. Professor Jay produced a detailed and sensible report recommending changes which would have made a real difference to survivors of grooming gangs.

Successive governments have ignored Professor Jay’s report and refused to implement her recommendations. The report was released in October of 2020. By the start of 2025, there wasn’t a single recommendation that had been put into practice.

I therefore share my clients concerns as to what this further inquiry is likely to achieve. Even if it does come up with sensible recommendations on the basis of the IICSA report, there is no guarantee that these recommendations will be followed. I have many clients who are continuing to suffer as a result of the government’s failure to implement the Jay recommendations and believe that it is scandalous that the 7 years of work of Professor Jay and her committee is being largely ignored.

I do hope that the new inquiry is successful. Anything that sheds more light on the terrible experiences of these people must be a good thing. My concern is that we may simply be going over old ground and failing to do anything to make a material difference to the badly damaged survivors of these gangs.

To speak to a specialist in abuse claims in confidence, please contact our dedicated abuse line on 0330 134 6430 or complete our online contact form and a member of the team will get in touch with you.