Baroness Longfield questioned on Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs was announced in 2025, with Baroness Anne Longfield appointed Chair in December of that year.
Meeting details
It sets out to address systemic failures in how institutions responded to child sexual exploitation and abuse committed by grooming gangs. The inquiry is expected to last for three years and has a budget of £65 million.
Following the announcement of an updated terms of reference in March 2026, the Home Affairs Committee will question the Chair of the inquiry and members of the panel on its structure and ways of working. It will examine how the inquiry will engage with local inquiries, and work with government and other institutions.
Prior to the current chair being appointed, members of the inquiry’s survivors panel resigned and two short-listed chairs resigned amid concerns around how victims’ voices would be heard and the inquiry’s independence secured. The Committee will question the new Chair on how she plans to build trust with victims and survivors and include them in the work of the inquiry.