Cooper looking at ‘different ways’ to haul witnesses before grooming inquiries
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Yvette Cooper will look at “different ways” to compel witnesses to speak out about child sexual exploitation, she has said. The Home Secretary faced calls from Rotherham MP Sarah Champion to launch a new statutory inquiry into gangs which sexually exploit children.
She did not commit to a new national probe, but instead announced a £10 million package to tackle abuse, with half going towards local inquiries. But Ms Champion, a Labour MP, said these local inquiries need “the ability to compel witnesses”. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham, which covered the period 1997 to 2013 and was led by Professor Alexis Jay, made a “conservative estimate” that around 1,400 children were sexually exploited over the 16 years.
Ms Champion told the Commons on Thursday that a similar inquiry in Telford “was victim-focused”. She added: “What they said they lacked, what Greater Manchester said they lacked, was the ability to compel witnesses, and a big strand of what we need to do is make sure there have been no cover-ups, and it’s only if it’s on a statutory footing that we can do that.”.
The Home Secretary replied that the Telford and Rotherham inquiries “did manage to uncover truths in different areas”. Ms Cooper added: “There also need to be other new arrangements on accountability, and that is what we are working with the Cabinet Office and also with mayors and councils to draw up what new accountability arrangements would be, to ensure that there is proper either follow up or as part of those initial inquiries, that you have that proper accountability framework in place and we will link that to the duty of candour as part of the Hillsborough law.”.
