“We couldn’t just leave it,” a senior government official told me.
In other words, the political reality was that demonstrable action was essential: ministers realized they had to act because for weeks now there had been a noisy and very angry public debate about the sexual exploitation of children.
The greatest catalyst for anger is a stifling sense of inertia – a collective sense of the state’s inability to confront monstrous crimes, deliver justice, and prevent it from continuing.
They were the propellers of the explosion of rage fueled by the richest man in the world, Elon Muskvia its social media platform X, demanding a national public inquiry.
The Conservatives, Reform UK and others made the same argument and the government found itself buffeted by the noise of outrage.
And while the government’s political opponents have made their arguments most bluntly, there have been voices within the Labor Party publicly calling for its response to go further, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham saying that there should be a “limited” national inquiry.
The announcement from the Minister of the Interior, Yvette Cooper This does not amount to setting up a national public inquiry, but it is a clear nod to the demands of those who wish it.
Ministers hope this will ease, if not extinguish, these accusations of a cover-up, while being aware that prominent voices – including the chair of the previous independent inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay – argue that another inquiry would be counterproductive.
Professor Jay’s inquiry heard evidence from 7,000 people and it argued that the focus now needs to be on action, on making change.
Many questions remain about the government’s new approach.
Here are two to start with:
- Which towns will be selected alongside Oldham to develop their own magazines?
- How might the scope and scale of the government’s actions change once the three-month national audit is completed?
In recent weeks, many critics have said the whole row amounts to grossly politicizing victims of the most vile abuse.
And yes, there was some opportunism in the campaign.
But it is also true that the growing emphasis on this issue has required the government to respond more quickly than we might otherwise have seen.
And one last thought.
If you were looking for an illustration of how unorthodox, even absurd, politics has become in 2025, someone from the government texted me with a hint of surprise and a link to a social media post from earlier.
Elon Musk cautiously welcomed the Interior Minister’s announcement on X.
Yes, the way this announcement played out to a Pacific Coast billionaire thousands of miles away is important.
You bet so, after the megaphone he’s provided for this debate in recent weeks.
