THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
For decades, thousands of children across Britain were groomed and abused by organized gangs. The victims waited years—sometimes decades—for someone in power to listen, to investigate, and to hold people accountable. When the government finally announced a national inquiry in 2025, many hoped this would be their moment for justice. Instead, what followed has left victims, survivors, and much of the public feeling let down once again.
Why Confidence Has Collapsed
The problems started before the inquiry even began. The person chosen to lead it matters enormously—victims needed someone they could trust to ask hard questions without fear or favor. But when the government appointed Baroness Anne Longfield, a former Labour peer, to chair the inquiry, alarm bells rang.
The issue isn’t about Baroness Longfield personally. It’s about what her appointment represents. Many of the towns where these crimes happened—Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford, Oxford—were run by Labour councils. Police and social workers who failed to act worked under Labour-controlled local authorities. So when a Labour peer is chosen to investigate failures that often happened on Labour’s watch, people ask: how can this be truly independent?
One father whose daughter was abused put it plainly: they had asked for a judge, ideally someone from outside Britain who would have no ties to the British establishment. Instead, they got someone from the political system they believe failed them. As one survivor, Fiona Goddard, said: “This is not an independent inquiry. The Government clearly wants to control the narrative.”
The appointment process itself was chaotic and damaging. Two previous candidates dropped out before Longfield was chosen. One withdrew after facing intense criticism from survivors. The other, Jim Gamble, pulled out citing a “lack of confidence” from survivors and described the environment around the inquiry as “highly charged and toxic.” Before the inquiry even started, five survivors walked away from the panel meant to represent their voices, unhappy with how the Home Office was handling things.
More recently, there are reports that the entire survivors panel—the group meant to ensure victims’ voices are heard—is being scrapped and replaced. For people who have fought for years just to be believed, this feels like yet another betrayal.
What Rupert Lowe’s Inquiry Aims to Achieve
This is why Rupert Lowe, the Independent MP for Great Yarmouth, launched his own inquiry. Over 20,000 members of the public donated more than £600,000 to fund it—a remarkable show of public demand for answers.
Lowe’s inquiry began taking testimony in January 2026, while the government’s inquiry is still in its planning stages. Right now, it’s the only inquiry actually listening to victims in public hearings.
What makes it different? Lowe has promised to ask the questions he says official inquiries have avoided—specifically about the demographics and religious backgrounds of the offenders. Survivors have testified that the gangs were predominantly made up of men from Pakistani backgrounds, but previous investigations have been accused of downplaying or avoiding this fact for fear of being called racist.
Lowe argues that understanding the full truth—including uncomfortable truths—is essential to preventing future abuse. His inquiry is also examining why authorities repeatedly failed to act: why police ignored reports, why social workers returned children to their abusers, why officials prioritized “community relations” over child safety.
The inquiry doesn’t have legal powers like a statutory inquiry does, but Lowe has said he may pursue private prosecutions based on what they uncover. At minimum, it aims to create a public record of what happened and who was responsible.
Why Isn’t This Being Publicized Nationally?
This is perhaps the most troubling question. A privately funded inquiry exposing one of the worst child protection scandals in British history is underway, with survivors giving harrowing testimony—yet most mainstream media outlets are barely covering it.
GB News has broadcast the hearings, but coverage from the BBC, ITV, and major newspapers has been minimal or absent. Why? There are several possible explanations, though none are confirmed:
Some suggest mainstream media outlets are uncomfortable with the inquiry’s willingness to discuss the ethnic and religious patterns in these crimes—topics that remain politically sensitive. Others believe there’s reluctance to give attention to an inquiry that implicitly criticizes the establishment and official processes. The inquiry’s association with GB News, which some view as politically aligned with certain perspectives, may also lead other outlets to avoid the story.
Whatever the reason, the lack of coverage means millions of people have no idea this inquiry is happening. Victims who bravely testify receive little public acknowledgment. The public conversation about these crimes remains muted.
The Deeper Problem
At its heart, this situation reveals a crisis of trust. When people believe the system cannot investigate itself fairly, when victims feel betrayed by the very processes meant to help them, democracy itself is weakened.
The government’s inquiry may still produce valuable findings—it has substantial resources and a three-year timeline. But it begins from a position of deep skepticism. Meanwhile, Lowe’s inquiry, funded by ordinary people, represents a vote of no confidence in official channels.
The question Britain must face is uncomfortable but urgent: if the public no longer trusts institutions to hold themselves accountable, what then? And if the media won’t fully report on alternatives when they emerge, how will people ever learn the truth?
For the victims and survivors, these aren’t abstract questions about politics or media strategy. They’re about whether, after all these years, someone will finally deliver the justice and accountability they were promised.
References
1.https://www.therapeganginquiry.org/
2.https://www.yahoo.com/news/rupert-lowe-investigated-over-600k-113000644.html?guccounter=1
3. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/norfolk-mps-crowdfunded-rape-gang-131000419.html
4.https://www.gbnews.com/news/grooming-gangs-inquiry-father-victim-tears-into-appointment-baroness-longfield
5.https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/the-person-in-charge-of-the-grooming-gang-inquiry-must-be-made-of-stern-stuff-and-baroness-anne-longfield-meets-the-criteria-jayne-dowle-5439397
6.https://www.microtomacro.org/rupert-lowe-child-exploitation-85-uk-areas/
