"One of the reasons why Shabana Mahmood was appointed home secretary was because, as justice secretary, when the Tories came at her with a two-tier justice attack line that was being enthusiastically embraced by the rightwing media, she saw them off swiftly and effectively (essentially, by coopting the argument and responding). Today she is performing a similar rebuttal operation on the grooming gangs inquiry, which is another area where the Daily Mail/GB News etc are on the warpath and the government is floundering."
"The government has not chosen a chair yet, or agreed terms of reference. But it has an oversight panel including around 30 survivors, and over the last three days at least three of them have resigned, complaining about the likely candidates for chair, suggestions that the inquiry will be extended to cover other child abuse, not just grooming gangs, and concerns about the ethnicity of offenders being downplayed."
Keir Starmer announced a national grooming-gangs inquiry in June after previously opposing the idea. Any inquiry will only be effective if it secures survivors' trust. The government has not yet appointed a chair or finalised terms of reference. An oversight panel of around 30 survivors exists, but at least three members resigned recently, citing concerns about potential chair candidates, proposals to broaden the inquiry to other child-abuse types, and perceived downplaying of offender ethnicity. One reported candidate withdrew, leaving Jim Gamble, a former police officer and former head of CEOP, as the prominent remaining contender. The Conservatives are pressing for a judge to lead the inquiry, and ministers warn that misinformation undermines progress.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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