The questions this grooming gangs inquiry must finally answer

Telegraph

6 hours ago

The Casey report into the rape gangs yet again proves what we already knew: that the systematic and racially and religiously aggravated rape of thousands of vulnerable white girls is the worst scandal of our lifetimes.
The response by the Government, however, leaves many important questions unanswered. Labour says it's launching a national inquiry, yet its official document says it will only 'coordinate a series of targeted local investigations', with the Home Secretary yet to confirm whether it will cover every affected town and city. And we do not yet know how independent the inquiry chair will be. Yvette Cooper once again refused to instruct the National Crime Agency to investigate police officers, social workers and councillors who were complicit in these appalling crimes.
The long refusal to accept a national inquiry – and the furious response of some Labour MPs towards scrutiny of the role of their councils in this scandal – is part of a wider showdown between those who govern and the governed. Because liberal authoritarianism remains a huge problem in our politics.
Opinions and motives disliked by the Government are increasingly dismissed – and delegitimised – as 'far Right'. The Prevent programme, established to counter the radicalisation of those who might be drawn to terrorism, says concern about mass immigration is a 'terrorist ideology'.
The riots that followed the Southport murders – later said to have been caused partly by the lack of Government transparency – were dismissed by the Prime Minister as 'far-Right thuggery'. But the idea that the riots were in any way planned or coordinated by far-Right agitators – and not a spontaneous reaction of fury – has been discredited by the police inspectorate, which suggested most offenders were local, often young, and had no connections to extremists.
But the most notorious example of the far right smear has been the Government's dismissal of concerns about the rape gangs of mainly Pakistani, Muslim men who systematically abused vulnerable, white working class girls. When the Conservatives pressed for a national inquiry earlier this year, Starmer accused the Party of 'spreading lies and misinformation' and 'amplifying what the far-Right is saying.' In an attempt to avoid an inquiry, Starmer commissioned Louise Casey to conduct an 'audit' of the crimes and their investigation. But Casey concluded an inquiry was necessary and Starmer has folded.
This demonstrates the limits of the campaign to delegitimise public opinion. For not even a Prime Minister can withstand sustained public pressure of the kind we have seen over the last six months, and Labour MPs were likely to be asked to vote on the need for an inquiry when the Commons considers the Crime and Policing Bill this week.
But does this mean we are finally going to get to the truth of the rape gangs? Given the deliberate refusal of large parts of the state over so many years to prevent the abuse and prosecute the observers, the refusal by some Labour ministers to even acknowledge that these crimes were racially and religiously aggravated, and the alleged complicity of some Labour councillors in these horrific crimes, we should be wary.
So we will need clear answers to important questions about the inquiry. Following the death of Dr David Kelly, one of Tony Blair's senior advisers reassured colleagues about the subsequent inquiry, saying, 'don't worry, we appointed the right judge'. The identity of the person who chairs this inquiry will be vital, and it may need to be a judge from another Commonwealth jurisdiction, to avoid conflicts of interest or social or political beliefs that prejudice the work.
The inquiry will need to be unsparing about the most sensitive subjects: about ethnicity, religious identity, family structures and social attitudes among members of the Muslim population in Britain. What role did clan identities play? Why did social workers make choices that made them complicit in abuse, instead of confronting it? How many police officers were corrupt or complicit? What role did local councillors play in keeping the scandals a secret? What about other public services, like schools, GP surgeries and hospitals?
One of the reasons our politics is so crisis-ridden is the gulf in values and expectations between the governed and the government. The campaign to delegitimise public opinion – about the rape gangs and many other things – shows just how authoritarian our liberal leaders are. The reason they are afraid of the public is that they know they will, soon, be smashed. But it is time now for the truth, and time, too, for justice.