The father of a grooming gang victim has told Sky News the government should be “ashamed” of itself over the confusion surrounding inquiries – accusing it of “messing around with survivors’ lives”.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips this week sparked fresh uncertainty over whether regional inquiries into grooming gangs – promised by the government in January – would go ahead.
Following two days of confusion, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, insisted on Thursday that five local inquiries will take place – and hinted more could follow.
But her comments have done little to reassure Marlon West, whose daughter Scarlett was a victim of sexual exploitation in Manchester.
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Ms Phillips’s statement in parliament on Tuesday – which sparked criticism after it failed to mention the reviews – left survivors “so disappointed”, he said.
The uncertainty “makes you dizzy because you get hope and think ‘I’m getting somewhere now’ then they do a U-turn as they’ve done twice this week”, Mr West continued.
“I think they should be ashamed of themselves,” he said. “The government now are messing around with survivors’ lives and campaigners like me.”
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Throughout her ordeal, Scarlett has “been let down by the local authority, by social workers, by the police force,” he said. “With the government, she’s just been let down again. That’s what’s cruel.”
Mr West added he is “really disappointed” in the government’s decision to push forward with the five regional inquiries instead of a statutory, national one.
He pointed out that police officers and professionals can refuse to give evidence at regional inquiries, whereas national ones can compel them to do so.
“With a statutory inquiry, it’d be more like a [legal] setting,” Mr West said. “Professionals will not be allowed to refuse interviews. They have to attend.
“It needs to [be in a] legal arena where they are compelled to give evidence.”
His comments came as the prime minister said the government is focussing on implementing the “hundreds” of recommendations from previous inquiries into grooming gangs.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “My strong belief is we’ve got to implement those recommendations.
“At the moment, and under the last government, they just stacked up and sat on a shelf. So they need to be implemented.”
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Read more:
A timeline of the scandal
What we know from grooming gangs data
Both the prime minister and the home secretary have rejected claims the government’s pledge to hold “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” is being “watered down”.
Asked by Sky News presenter Anna Jones if that was the case, Ms Cooper replied: “No, completely the opposite.
“What we’re doing is increasing the action we’re taking on this vile crime.”
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Sir Keir separately said: “We put the money behind it. We’re not watering it down. We’re committed to that.
“But, I’m equally committed to implementing the recommendations that we’ve got.”
