On 20 June 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK Government will now launch a full Statutory Inquiry into the systemic grooming, exploitation, and institutional failures which have caused untold suffering to thousands of vulnerable children across Britain.

This announcement comes after many years of campaigning by survivors, advocates, and independent voices — including work initiated by The Scottish Crown earlier this year, which proposed the formation of an Independent Commission of Inquiry into these very issues.

In March 2025, The Scottish Crown publicly launched its independent initiative — laying out proposed Terms of Reference, survivor consultation mechanisms, and a panel recruitment framework that specifically called for a survivor-led inquiry, with a majority-female investigative panel and an absolute commitment to independence free from political and institutional interference.

At the time, our goal was clear: if the Government would not act, we would. If they would, we would step aside — so long as justice for the survivors remained the outcome.

That moment has now arrived.

It is not about political ownership. It is not about who takes credit. It is about justice. It is about long-overdue answers for those who have waited too long.

The Scottish Crown therefore formally welcomes the UK Government’s decision to proceed with a full Statutory Inquiry.

However — we also make this public call to those now tasked with delivering it:

1. The Inquiry must be survivor-led.
   The voices, experiences, and expertise of survivors must sit at the heart of its design, structure, and operation.

2. The investigative panel must be a majority-female panel of the highest integrity.
   Survivors — the majority of whom are women — deserve an inquiry shaped by those who will act with both empathy and rigor.

3. Independence must be absolute.
   The Inquiry must not be steered by political convenience, nor buried in procedural delay or institutional protectionism.

4. Transparency must be non-negotiable.
   Survivors and the public must be able to see and trust in the process at every step.

The Scottish Crown will continue to monitor the Inquiry’s development in the coming weeks and months — particularly the proposed Terms of Reference and the selection of its Chair and panel.

We will not hesitate to raise concerns should any risk of dilution, delay, or institutional interference arise.

Our original Independent Commission materials — including draft Terms of Reference and survivor consultation frameworks — will remain on record, open to the public, and may be provided to the Government, the Inquiry team, or any Parliamentary committee upon request.

This has always been about one thing — justice for the survivors. And that is what must now be delivered. The registration form, its dashboard, and any data will be retained, if any, and provided to the Statutory Inquiry. 

The Scottish Crown
22 June 2025