Minister Disagrees with Andy Burnham on National Inquiry for Grooming Gangs
A government minister has rejected Andy Burnham’s call for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, emphasizing the need for action instead.
Andy Burnham, Lisa Nandy, Grooming Gangs, Child Sexual Abuse, Greater Manchester, UK
Manchester: So, there’s been some back and forth between Andy Burnham and a government minister about grooming gangs. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, wants a new national inquiry into historical child sexual abuse. But Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, isn’t on board with that idea.
She gets where Burnham is coming from, especially since some local police didn’t even participate in the previous inquiry. But she thinks the national inquiry already done was enough. It lasted seven years and heard from tons of victims, revealing some pretty shocking truths about how young girls were treated.
Burnham recently said he’s open to a limited national inquiry, especially after seeing the results of local reviews in places like Rotherham and Telford. He believes a national investigation could really dig into these issues and hold people accountable.
However, Nandy pointed out that the government is focused on acting on recommendations from the last inquiry, which still haven’t been put into practice. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also warned that starting another inquiry could slow down necessary actions against child sexual abuse.
Burnham did say he supports a new inquiry but felt that the MPs were right to reject a recent Conservative motion for one. He’s worried that survivors might lose faith in the system if they have to go through another lengthy process without any real changes happening.
Nandy reassured victims that the government understands the urgency and is ready to act. She mentioned that child abuse is often hidden, so there might be more revelations in the future. For now, the focus is on making sure the previous recommendations are finally put into action.