WESTMINSTER – An independent inquiry into historic grooming and rape gangs has begun taking evidence in public, led by independent MP Rupert Lowe, at a point when the Government’s own promised national inquiry has yet to formally begin hearings.
Rupert Lowe, the Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth, announced the inquiry in 2025, stating that it was established in response to what he described as prolonged delays and repeated failures by the state to properly investigate organised child sexual exploitation. Rupert Lowe has said survivors have waited decades for accountability and that previous investigations were often fragmented, geographically limited or unable to address institutional responsibility.
The inquiry is relevant to areas already drawn into the national picture, including Hull City Council, which was named earlier this year in connection with historic grooming and rape gang investigations. Following that disclosure, Hull City Council said that “every child must be protected” and acknowledged the seriousness of the failures exposed in past cases.
Unlike a statutory public inquiry, the investigation led by Rupert Lowe is not established under the Inquiries Act 2005 and does not have legal powers to compel witnesses, documents or evidence from councils, police forces or central government departments. Rupert Lowe has nevertheless stated that the inquiry is intended to gather testimony, preserve evidence and place material into the public domain that might otherwise remain unseen.
The inquiry is funded entirely through public crowdfunding rather than public money. Fundraising pages linked to the project show that several hundred thousand pounds have been raised from tens of thousands of individual donors across the UK. Rupert Lowe has said the funds are being used to support legal advice, secure handling of evidence, the organisation of hearings and the publication of findings. Rupert Lowe has also stated that the inquiry will explore whether private prosecutions are possible in cases where evidence supports further action.
Since opening, the inquiry has begun receiving written and oral submissions from survivors, family members and whistleblowers from multiple parts of the country. Rupert Lowe has stated publicly that early submissions describe repeated institutional failures over several decades, including ignored warnings, poor information sharing between agencies and a lack of sustained oversight by public bodies. These statements reflect material submitted to the inquiry rather than findings reached through a statutory or judicial process, and the inquiry has said its work remains ongoing.
Hull’s inclusion in the wider national record of grooming and exploitation cases places it among a large number of local authority areas affected by historic failures. Previous investigations have shown that such abuse was not confined to a small number of towns or regions but occurred across multiple parts of the country over many years.
In contrast, the Government’s own national inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation, announced in 2024, has not yet begun public evidence sessions. While ministers have confirmed that preparatory work is under way, including the development of terms of reference and the appointment of senior figures, no hearings have been held and no evidence has yet been examined in public.
As a result, the independent inquiry led by Rupert Lowe is currently the only process actively taking testimony in public, despite its lack of statutory powers. For survivors and for communities such as Hull that have already been named in connection with historic cases, the absence of an operational government inquiry means there is, for now, no national forum compelling public bodies to give evidence or account publicly for past decisions.
The contrast between an inquiry that has begun and one that remains at a preparatory stage has become increasingly clear as evidence continues to be gathered outside the formal government process.