“We couldn’t just let it go,” a senior figure in the government told me.
In other words, the political reality was that actionable action was necessary: ministers realized they had to act because, for weeks now, there had been a vigorous and very angry public debate about child sexual abuse.
A major catalyst for anger is a sense of inertia—a collective sense of the state’s failure to confront, deliver justice, and prevent heinous crimes.
These were the propellants for the anger to flare up. Fan by Elon Musk, the richest man in the worldThrough his social media platform X, the National Public is calling for an investigation.
The Conservatives, Reform UK and others made the same argument, and the government surrounded itself with an outcry.
And while the government’s political opponents have put their case very bluntly, there have been calls from within Labor to push its response further publicly, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham saying: There should be a “limited” national inquiry.
Announcement by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper This is not tantamount to setting up a national public inquiry, but it is a clear acceptance of their demands.
Ministers hope it will at least dampen, if not extinguish, allegations of a cover-up, while recognizing that there are prominent voices – not least the chair of the previous independent inquiry. Professor Alexis J. – who argues that another is counterproductive.
Professor Jay’s inquiry heard evidence from 7,000 people and argued that the focus should now be on action to deliver the changes.
Many questions remain about the government’s new strategy.
Here are two for a start:
- Which towns along with Oldham will be selected to produce their assessments?
- What is the scope and extent of what the government changes after a three-month national audit?
In the past few weeks, many critics have said that the whole row amounts to the politicization of victims of the most vile abuse.
And yes, there must have been some opportunism in the campaign.
But it is also true that the explosion of importance of this issue has forced a more rapid response from the government than we might have seen otherwise.
And one last thought.
If you were looking for an example of how unconventional, even ridiculous, politics has become in 2025, a government official texted me with a hint of surprise and a link to an earlier social media post. .
Elon Musk had cautiously welcomed the Home Secretary’s announcement on X.
Yes, how the announcement came across to a Pacific Coast billionaire thousands of miles away is important.
You bet, after the megaphone he’s provided for the debate in recent weeks.