I was shut down on grooming gangs, says Welsh Tory leader

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd has accused other politicians of shutting him down over calls for a Wales-wide inquiry into grooming gangs.

Darren Millar said a statutory inquiry covering Wales and England, announced by the prime minister on Saturday, was "welcome but long overdue".

In February, the Senedd rejected calls for a Welsh inquiry, but members voted unanimously that the Welsh government should consider one.

The Welsh government said it welcomed the UK government's plan for a "national statutory inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse across England and Wales, following Baroness Casey's audit".

Millar also accused the Senedd's Presiding Officer Elin Jones of "inappropriately interrupting" him during a question about grooming gangs in January.

A freedom of information request made by BBC Wales in March revealed Welsh police forces had identified no current widespread issues with grooming gangs.

Responding to the new inquiry Millar said: "Every month of delay in getting to this position has caused even more hurt to those brave victims who have spoken out about their harrowing experiences and campaigned for justice.

"When I raised the need for an inquiry in the Senedd back in January, other politicians tried to shut me down, but it made me all the more determined to fight for the vulnerable victims of these crimes," he added.

Millar also said Wales should not be an "afterthought" for the new inquiry.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of a U-turn by opposition parties in Westminster after months of rejecting a new inquiry.

He changed his mind after an audit led by Baroness Louise Casey into the data and evidence on the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday and the Casey report will be published alongside it.

In January, the Welsh Tory leader and the Senedd's presiding officer clashed after Millar relayed the experiences of abuse survivor Emily Vaughn, who goes under a pseudonym, and who suffered some of the abuse in Wales.

Ms Vaughn later accused Jones of "downplaying" her experience.

Jones said she had been "seeking to protect victims of abuse" and that she was "not sufficiently aware" that Vaughn had spoken publicly before.

Millar said the new inquiry was a "vindication" for Ms Vaughn's courage and bravery.

A previous independent inquiry into the sexual abuse of children was led by Prof Alexis Jay and reported in 2022.

Back in February, the Senedd unanimously backed a Plaid Cymru amendment to the Conservative motion for a Wales-wide inquiry, calling on the Welsh government to conduct an audit of abuse cases within Welsh police forces.

Speaking on Monday, Plaid's Llinos Medi said: "We will today be seeking an update on the co-operation between the UK and Welsh governments on this deeply sensitive issue.

"Victims and their families deserve transparency and accountability."

The Welsh government said it would consider the inquiry's "recommendations in full to inform our actions".

It added: "Our 10-year strategy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse is due out for public consultation shortly."