Inquiries into institutional failures are a vital element in public life. These have three broad purposes, the first of which is finding out the truth. Closely linked to this is accountability, which means listening to victims as well as apportioning blame. The third is to influence policy and attitudes.
In recent days some victims of and campaigners against gang-based child sexual abuse and exploitation have argued that further investigation of this form of crime, and official failures in dealing with it, is needed. The appalling bullying of Jess Phillips by Elon Musk, and Kemi Badenoch’s cynical response, do not invalidate such arguments. While many members of the sex abuse gangs in Rochdale, Rotherham and elsewhere have been jailed, with further prosecutions in train, the impunity with which some operated remains disturbing.
