A former children’s commissioner, Baroness Longfield, has been appointed to chair the government’s inquiry into child sexual abuse carried out by grooming gangs.
Her appointment follows months of turmoil after four women resigned from the survivors panel and two previous chairing candidates withdrew.
Announcing the decision in the Commons, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the three-year inquiry would be a “moment of reckoning” and pledged to “root out this evil once and for all.”
The inquiry, covering England and Wales, was commissioned after Baroness Louise Casey recommended a national investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation.
Baroness Longfield will work alongside panellists Zoe Billingham CBE, a former inspector with HM Constabulary, and Eleanor Kelly CBE, former chief executive of Southwark Council. All were recommended by Baroness Casey after discussions with victims, Mahmood said, adding that the team would meet survivors later this week.
Longfield said the inquiry must uncover the truth, confront past failures, and ensure stronger protection for children today.
However, Fiona Goddard, one of the survivors who resigned in October, criticised the appointment process, claiming current panel members were not consulted and accusing the government of using them as a façade of engagement. She also questioned the inquiry’s independence, noting Longfield’s long association with Labour, despite her resignation of the party whip.
The inquiry will carry out targeted investigations in multiple local areas, including Oldham, under a national panel with a proposed £65m budget. It will also examine offenders’ backgrounds, including ethnicity and religion.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp urged the prime minister to apologise for previously dismissing calls for an inquiry as far-right,while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said survivors had waited too long for a credible process.
The inquiry has faced instability since the mass resignations earlier this year, when survivors criticised the government’s handling and expressed distrust toward earlier proposed chairs.
