Baroness Anne Longfield CBE has been appointed to chair the long-awaited Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, marking a pivotal moment for victims and survivors who have waited years for answers and justice. The inquiry, announced on December 9, 2025, by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in the House of Commons, is set to investigate how young people were repeatedly failed by institutions meant to protect them, including police, councils, and social services. The panel, formed under the Inquiries Act, comprises three experts: Longfield herself, Zoë Billingham CBE, and Eleanor Kelly CBE, each bringing decades of experience in children’s rights, policing oversight, and local government systems.
According to the BBC, the inquiry is armed with full statutory powers, allowing it to compel witnesses, require organizations to hand over documents, and make recommendations both locally and nationally. Its scope is ambitious but focused: it will examine not just institutional failings, but also how factors like ethnicity, religion, and culture influenced responses to grooming gangs and, in some cases, led to cover-ups. The government has committed £65 million to the inquiry, which is mandated to conclude within three years, with findings due by March 2029.
As Mahmood stated in Parliament, "For years, the victims of these awful crimes were ignored. First abused by vile predators, they then found themselves belittled and even blamed, when it was justice they were owed. Today, I have announced the Chair and panel of an inquiry which will shine a bright light on this dark moment in our history. They will do so alongside the victims of these awful crimes who have waited for too long to see justice done. This inquiry is theirs, not ours." Mahmood also called for political unity, urging all parties to support the inquiry’s pursuit of truth and justice, and emphasized that Longfield would step down from the Labour party during her tenure to maintain impartiality.
The inquiry’s draft terms of reference, to be finalized by March 2026 after consultation with victims and stakeholders, clarify that not every affected area or case will be investigated. Instead, the inquiry will focus on locations and services where particular evidence of past failings exists. Oldham has been confirmed as the first town to undergo a local investigation, with other locations to be determined soon. Mahmood assured Parliament, "No area will be able to resist a local investigation," but acknowledged that the inquiry will not cover every locality where abuse occurred.
This targeted approach comes after months of turmoil in the inquiry’s setup. In October 2025, the Home Office was forced to restart the process of appointing a chair after five women resigned from the victims liaison panel in protest over concerns about the inquiry’s scope and engagement with survivors. The terms of reference now make clear that the inquiry will focus exclusively on grooming gangs, not other forms of sexual exploitation.
Baroness Longfield, who served as Children’s Commissioner from 2015 and was recently made a Labour peer, acknowledged the gravity of her new role. "The inquiry owes it to the victims, survivors and the wider public to identify the truth, address past failings and ensure that children and young people today are protected in a way that others were not," she said. "The inquiry will follow the evidence and will not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable truths wherever we find them." She added, "The scourge of grooming gangs has not been adequately tackled over past decades. That must change and I will do everything in my power to make this happen."
Her appointment, however, has not been without controversy. Some victims and political opponents have questioned her impartiality, citing her recent appointment as a Labour peer. Fiona Goddard, a former member of the victims liaison panel, posted on X, "All us that resigned from the panel over concerns of this just being a box ticking exercise and being used by the government to give the impression of engagement without actually being listened to, are about to be proven right." Elizabeth Harper, another survivor who quit the panel, commented, "Annie Longfield has done some undoubtedly amazing work, but this needed to be legally led." Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, echoed these concerns: "I would have preferred to see a judge lead this inquiry. A judge is clearly impartial and has the skills and experience to manage a complex process involving taking evidence and finding the truth. Appointing a Labour peer may lead to questions about impartiality."
Despite these criticisms, the government and inquiry leadership have emphasized the panel’s expertise. Alongside Longfield, Zoë Billingham brings experience as a former inspector at HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and fire and rescue services, and Eleanor Kelly is the former chief executive of Southwark Council, with a background in supporting survivors of major crises. All three were recommended by Baroness Louise Casey, who will serve as an adviser to the inquiry. Casey, whose June 2025 review exposed serious institutional failings and found that grooming in Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire was perpetrated by "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds," said, "Baroness Longfield, Zoë Billingham and Eleanor Kelly have long-standing track records in advocating for children, holding police forces to account and leading on critical social issues. Together, they make a formidable team and have my full support."
One of the inquiry’s central tasks will be to investigate how ethnicity, religion, and culture played roles in authorities’ responses and, in some cases, denial or cover-up of abuse. To address longstanding gaps in data, the Home Secretary has commissioned UK Research and Innovation to conduct new research into perpetrators’ backgrounds and motivations. The government has also pledged nearly £3.75 million in additional funding for policing, survivor support, and research, including nearly £1 million for the National Crime Agency to support Operation Beaconport—a national police operation reviewing hundreds of previously closed investigations into abuse and exploitation—and £2.6 million for local police forces to review closed cases. An additional £146,000 will fund a rapid assessment of Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) services to identify gaps in support for child victims of grooming gangs and technology-assisted sexual offences.
The inquiry forms a key part of the government’s Plan for Change, which aims to halve violence against women and girls, ensure safer streets, and protect the most vulnerable in society. In the six months since the government accepted all of Baroness Casey’s recommendations, significant progress has been made. The inquiry will work closely with Operation Beaconport, and any evidence or findings that could lead to criminal charges will be passed to the police. The government has also committed to bringing in an automatic disregard scheme for "child prostitution" convictions, helping survivors move on from unjust criminalization and stigma.
As the inquiry prepares to launch in earnest, expectations are high among victims, campaigners, and the wider public. The panel’s work will be closely watched, not only for its findings but for the hope it offers to those who have waited too long for justice and change. The next three years will be critical in determining whether the promise of truth, accountability, and reform can finally be realized for the survivors of grooming gangs.
