The long-awaited inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal will “explicitly examine” whether the ethnicity, culture or religion of perpetrators directly influenced offending, the Home Secretary vowed today.
Shabana Mahmood said the statutory independent investigation will be “laser focused” on grooming gangs as she insisted there “will be no hiding place for the predatory monsters who committed these vile crimes”.
The inquiry published its terms of reference on Monday, which will be laid before Parliament when it returns from recess on April 13.
It will then begin its full investigation into the group-based sexual exploitation of children in England and Wales.
It will look into how the gangs operated and how public institutions, including police forces, councils, health services, social care authorities and schools, responded to abuse.
It will have the legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence and require organisations to hand over documents.
Ms Mahmood said: “The grooming gangs scandal is one of the darkest moments in our country’s history – where the most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists.
“The independent national Inquiry will now begin its crucial work to uncover how these crimes were allowed to happen and root out failure wherever it occurred.
“The Chair and I have agreed that the Inquiry will be laser focused on grooming gangs and will explicitly examine the role of ethnicity, religion and culture of the offenders and in the response of institutions.
“There will be no hiding place for the predatory monsters who committed these vile crimes.”
Last year, reports uncovered by the Standard revealed children in London were groomed and raped after being let down by police and the care system.
Vulnerable young girls from across the capital were found with adult men days after going missing and, despite alleging sexual assault, saw inadequate police action, the investigations showed.
The Met Police announced in October it was set to reexamine 9,000 cases of child exploitation as part of a major review into grooming gangs in the capital.
Any evidence of criminal conduct by professionals uncovered will be referred to Operation Beaconport, the national policing operation launched last year to review hundreds of previously closed investigations.
The inquiry will conduct local investigations in areas where serious failures have been identified in response to child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs.
Oldham has been confirmed among the first areas. The inquiry is being chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield, a former children's commissioner for England.
Lady Longfield said: "Children across England and Wales were and are sexually abused and exploited.
"When they asked for help, they were too often disbelieved, dismissed or blamed. That is the reality this inquiry exists to address.
"Victims and survivors have every right to ask whether this inquiry will be any different from those that came before.
"My answer is this: where we can, we will publish our findings as we go, not in a single report years from now. There will be no opportunity for institutions to quietly manage what we find.
"We will follow the evidence wherever it leads. We will not flinch from uncomfortable truths."
Lady Longfield will be supported by panellists Zoe Billingham, a former Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, and Eleanor Kelly, a former chief executive of Southwark Council.
The inquiry will hold public hearings, which will be live-streamed, and transcripts will be published after each hearing.
Findings will be published progressively rather than being held until a final report.
The inquiry has a maximum duration of three years, to conclude no later than March 2029, and has a budget of £65 million.
It was set up in response to a recommendation from Baroness Louise Casey's National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
The audit found systemic failures and institutional paralysis had enabled grooming gangs to operate for many years.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: "This appears to be a significantly strengthened terms of reference for the national grooming gangs inquiry.
"The initial draft did not, amongst other things, examine ethnicity and religion, nor did it ensure those in positions of authority like politicians or police officers would be investigated.”
