
Baroness Casey's findings on grooming gangs set to be announced
The Home Secretary is set to address Parliament over the review, which prompted the Prime Minister to implement a full probe after months of resistance.
Meanwhile, the Home Office has said that the National Crime Agency (NCA) will carry out a nationwide operation targeting people who have sexually exploited children.
Earlier this year, the 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.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said on Sunday that the delivery of the Casey review should not mean agencies and ministers delay on bringing forward changes that have been recommended before.
She told the BBC's Westminster Hour that 'we have had the Jay Inquiry before, there are lots of recommendations already on the table so whilst I welcome this announcement, at the same time it shouldn't be an excuse for the Government or other agencies to delay action in terms of implementing the recommendations of previous inquiries'.
According to the Home Office, the NCA will work in partnership with police forces to investigate cases that 'were not progressed through the criminal justice system' in the past.
Ms Cooper said that it was 'unforgivable' that 'not enough people' listened to victims in the past, but ministers 'are changing that now'.
She said: 'The vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through when they were just children.
'Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now.'
According to the Times, the review by Baroness Casey is expected to explicitly link the grooming gang issue to men of Pakistani origin and say that people were ignored for the fear of racism.
The review comes after a row on the issue was ignited earlier this year, when Sir Keir became embroiled in a row with tech billionaire Elon Musk over calls for a national investigation.
In January, the Prime Minister hit out at politicians 'calling for inquiries because they want to jump on the bandwagon of the far right', but on Sunday, the Chancellor said that Sir Keir had been focused on 'victims' rather than 'grandstanding'.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had changed his mind about the idea of a national inquiry, the Chancellor told the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'I think Keir Starmer, our Prime Minister, has always been really focused, as he was when he was director of public prosecutions, on the victims and not grandstanding.
'But actually doing the practical things to ensure that something like this never happens again, but also to ensure that the victims of this horrific abuse over many, many years is got to grips with and that people have answers to their questions.'
A children's charity has said that the Government must not wait until the end of the inquiry to implement the recommendations from existing reports sich as the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo's, said: 'Children and survivors of abuse have already been waiting many years for action, so it's vital the Government doesn't wait for the outcome of this new inquiry to implement recommendations from previous ones.
'That includes upskilling social workers and other professionals to spot the signs of abuse, as well as investing in vital support services to help children experiencing life-changing consequences of abuse and to keep them safe from further harm.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ITV News
23 minutes ago
- ITV News
Water sector needs ‘root-and-branch' reform, MPs say
The water sector is in need of 'root-and-branch reform', a committee of MPs has said as it called for 'much more regulated management' of bonuses for senior bosses. The cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee has said that the industry is 'failing', but that water companies are 'deaf to the crisis' that it is facing. In their report, Priorities For Water Sector Reform, released on Monday, the MPs argue that the UK Government 'should feel able to use its temporary nationalisation powers' when needed. They also said the system should 'ensure that more money gained from investors and through customer bills is directed towards investment in water infrastructure and service delivery' and less towards debt repayment or financial rewards for executives. United Utilities was also one of six water companies banned earlier this month from paying bonuses to senior bosses. A new law has been introduced which will prevent bonuses from being paid if a water company does not meet environmental or consumer standards, does not meet financial resilience requirements, or is convicted of a criminal offence. The system of fines and rewards should also focus on a reduction in pollution incidents, responsible ownership and the need for the sector to have long-term resilience, the MPs said. 'Despite some initial success after privatisation in 1989, root-and-branch reform of the water sector is now needed to improve the sector's culture,' the committee said. As part of their investigation, the MPs found that 'public disquiet has increasingly turned to outrage' at the way water companies and their bosses are benefiting from the sector. 'Over hearings with 10 of the largest water companies and Ofwat, we regularly encountered a culture that is deaf to the crisis the sector is facing,' they said. Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael, a Liberal Democrat MP, said the sector 'must not shy away from bold proposals' and that it has a 'serious culture problem'. He said: 'Water companies' complex and sometimes impenetrable financial structures, with their myriad subsidiaries, holding companies and parent organisations, seem to suggest that their purpose is less to provide a good service to their customers and more to allow them to juggle their finances and their increasingly unsustainable levels of debt. 'Meanwhile, an ineffective regulatory system has failed to protect customers, the environment and the financial stability of the sector. 'It has failed to ensure that companies invest in essential infrastructure and it has not encouraged long-term thinking. 'This has got to stop now. Trust and accountability in the water sector are very low. 'It is not acceptable that it has fallen to commendable citizen scientists to expose issues with local water resources. 'Environmental protection and the delivery of reliable and safe water must be the first priorities of water companies and regulators.' A Defra spokesperson said: 'Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted, and our water system is broken. 'As part of the plan for change, new legislation has banned unfair multimillion-pound bonuses for bosses at six water companies and launched a record 81 criminal investigations. 'This Government has also secured the largest investment into the water sector in history, with £104bn in private sector investment to clean up rivers, lakes and seas and cut sewage by nearly half by 2030.' A Water UK spokesperson said: 'Everyone agrees that the water system is not working, and we have been calling for fundamental reforms which allow investment to get quickly to where it needs to go. 'In the meantime, companies are focused on investing a record £104 billion over the next five years to secure our water supplies, end sewage entering our rivers and seas and support economic growth.'


Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Grooming gangs targeted in major police operation after Starmer inquiry U-turn
National Crime Agency officers will lead an operation tracking down gang members (Picture: PA) The Home Office has announced a nationwide police operation tackling grooming gangs ahead of the release of a major report into the issue. Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Saturday a national inquiry will be held into institutional failings that led to thousands of children being sexually exploited by gangs across the UK. The move came after the Prime Minister spent months insisting a series of local probes would be sufficient to get to the bottom of the problem. Travelling to the G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir said he now believed an inquiry was 'the right thing to do' after reading 'every single word' of a report by Baroness Louise Casey. Her report, which will call for a full statutory inquiry, is due to be published this afternoon following a statement in the House of Commons from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Cooper has pre-empted the release by announcing an operation to be headed by the National Crime Agency, tracking down gang members who have abused children. Sign up to Metro's politics newsletter, Alright Gov? Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sign up here. She said it was 'wrong and unforgivable' that not enough people listened to the vulnerable young girls who fell victim to groups of adult men. The Home Office previously asked police to look again at grooming gang cases which closed 'too early', resulting in more than 800 such cases being identified. In January, Labour MPs were whipped to oppose a proposition to set up a national inquiry into grooming gangs tabled by the Conservatives in a House of Commons vote. However, the amendment was set up in a way that meant voting to pass it would mean killing the government's major Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, making it extremely difficult for Labour to support. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will update MPs on the report this afternoon (Picture: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images) Opposition parties including the Tories and Reform have been calling for a full-scale inquiry for months, with the issue gaining widespread attention after billionaire Elon Musk repeatedly posted about it on his social media site X at the start of the year. The Tesla boss, who worked in a high-profile White House role at the time, suggested Sir Keir Starmer should be arrested among dozens of highly critical posts. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who failed to launch an inquiry during her time in government, said: 'Keir Starmer doesn't know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to u-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full National Inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months.' Elon Musk drew attention to grooming gangs in controversial social media posts earlier this year (Picture:) Sarah Champion, the MP for Rotherham where one of the most high-profile grooming gang cases was based, said the thought of another inquiry 'filled [her] with horror' but her mind was changed by the 'overwhelming public concern'. Appearing on the BBC's Today Programme this morning, Champion said: 'I have an intense frustration that, not the frontline staff but further up the management chain, there were people who were actively blocking reports. 'People who I think, if not held to a criminal standard, should be held to a professional standard for their negligence in protecting those children.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: The Who legend Roger Daltrey, 81, reveals boozy knighthood celebrations Arrow MORE: 'Last major hurdle' of Brexit resolved by UK over Gibraltar and Spain Arrow MORE: Rachel Reeves: Ending asylum hotels by 2029 'will save taxpayer £1,000,000,000'


North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Treasury minister Reynolds struggles over Lower Thames Crossing answers
The Lower Thames Crossing will link Essex and Kent but economic secretary Emma Reynolds was unable to give details of the precise location of the crossing or the total cost of the project. She also mistakenly referred to the existing crossing being the 'Dartmouth tunnel', apparently confusing the Devon town with Dartford, the location of the crossings for traffic across the Thames. 'I meant Dartford, excuse me, I had a very early morning,' the minister told LBC Radio. Asked about the proposed new crossing's location, she said: 'You'll forgive me, I can't recall the landing zone.' The crossing will involve two tunnels under the Thames to the east of Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent. Pressed on the cost, she said 'it's going to cost quite a lot of money', suggesting it would be 'several billion pounds'. LBC Radio presenter Nick Ferrari told Ms Reynolds: 'Is there much point continuing this conversation because you don't know where a bridge starts, where it ends and you don't know how much it costs?' National Highways has estimated the cost will be between £9.2 billion and £10.2 billion depending on the funding model chosen. It would connect the A2 and M2 in Kent to the A13 and M25 in Essex via a 2.6-mile tunnel under the Thames, which would be the UK's longest road tunnel. The funding for the Lower Thames Crossing will be part of the Government's 10-year plan for infrastructure. A new structures fund will also invest in repairing bridges, flyovers, tunnels and other transport infrastructure such as roads. The Lower Thames Crossing is aimed at reducing congestion at Dartford. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said that the project is 'essential for improving the resilience of a key freight route and is critical to our long-term trade with Europe'. 'It will speed up the movement of goods from south-east England to the Midlands and the north, crucial to thousands of jobs and businesses,' she added. Rachel Reeves has said ministers are 'going all in by going up against the painful disruption of closed bridges, crossings and flyovers'. The Chancellor added: 'This is a turning point for our national infrastructure, and we're backing it with funding to support thousands of jobs and connect communities, delivering on our plan for change.' It comes ahead of the Government's infrastructure strategy, expected this week, while public procurement rules are set to be overhauled so that public bodies will have to give more weight to firms which can prove they will boost British jobs when they are bidding for contracts. The Chancellor outlined a range of infrastructure investments as part of last week's spending review.