Overview

• Home Office minister Jess Phillips announced plans to extend local grooming gang inquiries beyond the initial five towns, with a framework for these investigations set to be published in May.
• Baroness Louise Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation, examining offender characteristics and abuse profiles, will conclude in the coming weeks with findings to be made public.
• The Government has committed to enforcing accountability, stating it will pursue local councils reluctant to commission inquiries where abuse issues are identified.
• Jess Phillips confirmed engagement with survivors from Oxford, Birmingham, Rochdale, Rotherham, and Oldham, emphasizing the need for local accountability to address past institutional failures.
• The Home Office has expressed willingness to cooperate with Rupert Lowe’s privately funded inquiry, which has raised over £600,000 to investigate grooming gangs.