Baroness Anne Longfield Appointed to Chair Government's Grooming Gangs Inquiry
Baroness Anne Longfield has been appointed to chair the government's grooming gangs inquiry. She is the former Children's Commissioner for England, serving from 2015 to 2021. The inquiry had stalled in October after four members of the survivors' panel resigned and two leading chair candidates withdrew.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced Longfield's appointment in the House of Commons and praised her work. The national inquiry was initially announced by the Prime Minister in June, following an audit by Baroness Louise Casey on the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse.
Longfield will be joined by panellists Zoe Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE, both of whom were appointed following Casey's recommendations and after engagement with victims. The panel is scheduled to meet survivors later this week. The aim of the inquiry is to identify the truth, address past failings, and improve protection for children today.
