Former chair of child sexual abuse inquiry criticises response of Tory government as ‘awful’
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Professor Alexis Jay says Tory government ‘committed to nothing’ after her inquiry into child sexual abuse. The former chair of the child sexual abuse inquiry has hit out at the response of the Tory government to her recommendations, saying: “It was awful.”.
![[Home secretary Yvette Cooper told the Commons the government would launch a rapid review into grooming gangs]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/20/21/59dde5dbc70f520f48b1941d29134ba8Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM3NDkyNDgw-2.78709117.jpg)
Professor Alexis Jay told MPs on Tuesday that she was hugely disappointed to read the government’s official response to her suggestions, which were the culmination of an independent seven-year inquiry that sought to get to the bottom of institutional failings across England.
She told the Home Affairs Committee: “When we got the final printed version of the government’s response, it was inconsequential, insubstantial, committed to nothing.”. She said the Tory government’s response “made no specific commitment” to her recommendations, adding: “The reaction of all of us, but mostly victims and survivors, was such huge disappointment and anger.”.
The response was published in May 2023, when Suella Braverman was home secretary. Professor Jay said the only recommendation acted upon was a requirement for people to report child sexual abuse, but said this was watered down and ultimately not enacted because of the general election.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has now pledged to enact all 20 recommendations from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, with a timetable of when this will happen to be published before Easter. The government has been under mounting pressure to act on grooming gang failures after right-wing figures, led by X owner Elon Musk, pushed for a national inquiry into the scandal.
