Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry Chair Criticizes Conservative Response

Professor Alexis Jay condemns the prior government's handling of her recommendations and warns against politicizing child abuse issues.

Professor Alexis Jay, chair of the seven-year Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, labeled the Conservative government's 2023 response to her recommendations as 'awful' and 'insubstantial.'
Jay expressed concern over the 'weaponization' of child sexual abuse by political figures, particularly in calls for a new inquiry into grooming gangs.
The inquiry's findings, published in 2022, highlighted systemic failures by police and councils in addressing child sexual abuse and included 20 recommendations for reform.
Jay revealed that the government delayed action on her recommendations, with significant inaction until James Cleverly became home secretary in late 2023.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently announced a three-month audit into grooming gangs, including a review of ethnicity data, and pledged to implement Jay's recommendations.