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There are some issues so big, they refuse to stay out of the headlines for very long – and the grooming gangs scandal is certainly one of those.
The latest chapter in this horrific story makes particularly tough reading for the government.
Four of the victims on the panel for the national inquiry announced earlier this year by Labour (after plenty of public and political pressure) have quit, saying they are not being listened to.
After the fire and fury at the start of this year, it’s hard to imagine a news story that would make Sir Keir Starmer more uncomfortable than this one… with the possible exception of an asylum seeker taking a small boat back over to the UK after being deported to France.
The PM will have known Kemi Badenoch was almost certainly going to bring this up at this afternoon’s Prime Minister’s Questions, which is why he came prepared.
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Responding to the Tory leader’s first question – asked on behalf of grooming gang survivor Fiona Goddard, one of the women who walked away from the panel – he revealed something new.
‘I can tell the house today, Mr Speaker, that Dame Louise Casey will now support the work of the inquiry and it will get to the truth.’
Back in June, I sat behind Baroness Casey as she told the Home Affairs Committee the details of a rapid audit she had conducted of ‘group-based child sexual exploitation’.
At that point, it seemed like that impressive piece of work might be the sum of her involvement – particularly since she was also chairing the Adult Social Care Commission.
Now it looks like one of the busiest people in Westminster (who is also reportedly being considered for the role of Cabinet Secretary, the country’s top civil servant) has yet another thing on her plate.
Do you think bringing in Dame Louise Casey will help the grooming gangs inquiry succeed?
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Yes, her experience will be valuable
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No, it might not address the core issues
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It’s too soon to tell
What exactly it is, we don’t know. In the press briefing after PMQs, the government spokesman was unable to say exactly how Baroness Casey would ‘support’ the inquiry, nor even when she was asked.
But no matter her role, the intention behind bringing in such a heavy-hitter is clear: somebody needs to stop this critical inquiry crumbling to dust before it even gets underway.
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