Safeguarding Minister faces fury in Commons as Baroness Casey’s review delayed AGAIN – with critics slamming Labour’s handling of rape gangs scandal
Jess Phillips was forced to eat humble pie in the Commons today after Labour spectacularly failed to deliver on its promise to publish crucial grooming gangs plans by the end of May.
The embattled Safeguarding Minister issued what critics branded a “grovelling apology” to MPs after admitting that Baroness Louise Casey’s long-awaited review into Britain’s rape gangs scandal had been delayed yet again.
In an extraordinary Commons showdown, Phillips faced a barrage of criticism from Tory MPs who compared Labour’s handling of the crisis to “cover-ups” in the Catholic and Anglican churches – prompting Labour MPs to shout “shame on you” across the chamber.
‘I WAITED 14 YEARS’ – PHILLIPS’ SARCASTIC SWIPE
Attempting to deflect criticism over the month-long delay, Phillips delivered a sarcastic jab at her predecessors, telling MPs: “I do apologise for the month’s wait. I waited 14 years for anyone to do anything.
The Birmingham Yardley MP revealed that Baroness Casey had requested a “short extension” to her audit work, with the review now expected “very shortly” – though no firm date was provided.
Baroness Casey has requested a short extension to her work from the Home Secretary and the Home Secretary has informed the Home Affairs scrutiny committee of this and we expect it very shortly,” Phillips said.
“And when we have the report, the Government will respond to it, and lay out its plans with all the evidence in hand.”
BROKEN PROMISES PILE UP
The latest delay represents yet another broken promise from Labour on tackling the grooming gangs scandal. Phillips had explicitly vowed at the end of April that the framework for local authority inquiries would be published “later in May.
On 28 April when she was asked for more details on how additional inquiries will work, including how councils will be compelled to co-operate, she said: “The framework for what local authorities will be tasked with will be released later in May, as will Baroness Casey’s review, which I have committed to publishing.
Political blog Guido Fawkes was quick to highlight the broken pledge, noting: Baroness Louise Casey’s audit was meant to be completed in mid-April. Phillips at the end of that month guaranteed it would be done by May, at which point the Home Office would reveal how its grooming gang inquiries would work. Crickets…
TORY MP’S EXPLOSIVE CHURCH COMPARISON
The Commons erupted when Conservative MP Graham Stuart drew parallels between Labour’s approach and historic institutional cover-ups, prompting Labour MPs to shout “shame on you” at him.
Phillips hit back furiously, declaring: “I think that the idea that I have ever, or in fact the Prime Minister of this country has ever put anything other than the interests of the victims of grooming gangs at the heart of everything that we have ever worked for, is frankly for the birds.
LABOUR’S U-TURN ON INQUIRIES
The apology comes after months of controversy over Labour’s handling of the grooming gangs crisis. In April, The Spectator reported that Ms Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, came to the chamber to tell MPs that the government might not proceed with the five inquiries into ‘grooming gangs‘ promised by the Home Secretary.
Instead, Labour has proposed a “more flexible” approach, with councils able to access a £5 million fund for “locally-led work” – a move critics say amounts to asking the very councils that failed victims to “mark their own homework.”
ELON MUSK ROW RESURFACES
The grooming gangs scandal exploded back into the headlines in January when Phillips rejected calls for a national inquiry into abuse in Oldham, telling the council to “take its own approach” instead.
The decision sparked an extraordinary intervention from Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who called for Phillips to be jailed and labelled her a “rape genocide apologist” – comments Phillips dismissed as “ridiculous” from someone who “knows absolutely nothing” about grooming gangs.
VICTIMS BETRAYED AGAIN
Survivors and campaigners have expressed outrage at Labour’s approach. In January, it emerged that Phillips had rejected Oldham’s plea for a government-led inquiry despite admitting she had never spoken to victims from the town.
Phillips told ITV that she had pushed for a local inquiry in Oldham after “things changed way quicker” in a similar probe in Telford, which also fell victim to the gangs.
PHILLIPS ADMITS COVER-UP
In a remarkable admission in April, Phillips acknowledged there had been a “cover-up” of grooming gangs for “multicultural reasons” – but still refused to back a national inquiry.
I know exactly the issue of the cover-up, as does everyone already, because of the many local inquiries that told us that this happened, and the national inquiry that has told us that there were cover-ups.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has demanded more action, stating: “Not a single person, not one, has ever been held to account for these cover-ups. That is why we need a national, statutory inquiry that will compel production of evidence.”
POLITICAL FALLOUT INTENSIFIES
The latest delay is likely to intensify pressure on Labour over its handling of the scandal. Reform UK has already promised to conduct its own “private inquiry” if Labour continues to refuse a national probe.
Critics argue that Labour’s reluctance to pursue a comprehensive national inquiry stems from political sensitivities, with some pointing to Phillips nearly losing her seat to a pro-Gaza independent candidate last year.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
With no firm date for the Casey review’s publication and growing anger from survivors, campaigners and opposition MPs, the pressure on Phillips and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper shows no signs of abating.
As one Westminster insider told us: “Every delay, every broken promise, is another betrayal of the victims who have waited decades for justice. Phillips can make all the sarcastic comments she likes, but this is on Labour’s watch now.”
The Government insists it remains committed to tackling child sexual exploitation, but with trust eroding and promises repeatedly broken, many victims fear they are being failed yet again by a political establishment more concerned with managing sensitivities than delivering justice.
Image credit: Jess Phillips official portrait, 2024 (cropped) by Andy Taylor / UK Home Office, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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