Grooming inquiry stalls amid panel chair search

Keir Starmer's national grooming gang inquiry has stalled amid wrangles over its remit and difficulties in finding a senior legal figure willing to become its chair, the Guardian has been told.

- Rajeev Syal

Terms of the investigation are still being discussed by a panel including survivors of abuse rings, four months after the prime minister bowed to pressure and set it up.

The search for a chair of the panel is still to be completed, the Home Office has confirmed. Judges and lawyers appear to be reluctant to head the inquiry, a source said.

Officials are said to be working to appoint a chair who will play a central role in shaping the terms and scope of the inquiry and identify a first area for review.

Starmer previously resisted pressure for a new national inquiry into grooming gangs, and said earlier this year such a move would delay justice for victims and had already been examined in the seven-year independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) led by Prof Alexis Jay.

But after a three-month audit by Dame Louise Casey, and pressure from survivors and the owner of X, Elon Musk, the government launched a national inquiry in June.

A dedicated panel of survivors and stakeholders has been set up to contribute to the selection of a chair and set the inquiry's terms.