Chris Mason: Clear consensus on demand for new investigation into child abuse

A senior figure in the government told me, “We can’t just leave it.”

In other words, the political reality was that the action demonstrated was necessary: ​​ministers realized they had to act because for several weeks now, there had been a vigorous and very angry public debate about child sexual abuse.

The biggest catalyst of anger is the suffocating sense of inertia – the collective feeling of state failure to confront monstrous crimes, deliver justice and prevent them from happening.

These were the instigators of the flame of anger Acclaimed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest manThrough his social media platform X, demanded a national public inquiry.

The Conservatives, Reform UK and others made the same argument and the government found itself surrounded by howls of outrage.

And while the government’s political opponents put their cases most clearly, there were also demands within Labor to publicly step up their response, such as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, calling for a “limited” national inquiry. There should be.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s announcement This is not the same as setting up a national public inquiry, but it is a clear nod to the demands of those who want an inquiry.

Ministers hope that this will at least, if not reduce, those allegations of a cover-up, while knowing that there are prominent voices – not least the chair of the previous independent inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay – who argue That someone else would do so would be counterproductive.

Professor Jay’s inquiry heard testimony from 7,000 people and argued that the focus now should be on action, on driving change.

Many questions still remain regarding the new stance of the government.

Here are two to start with:

• Which cities will be selected along with Oldham to develop their own reviews?

• How might the scope and magnitude of what the government does change after the three-month national audit is completed?

Over the past few weeks, many critics have said that the entire controversy amounts to blatant politicization of victims of the most egregious abuses.

And yes, there has been some opportunism in the election campaign.

But it is also true that the explosion of prominence of this issue has forced a quicker response from the government than we might have seen otherwise.

And one final thought.

If you were looking for an example of how unconventional, even absurd, politics has become in 2025, a person in the government texted me with a hint of surprise and a link to an earlier social media post.

Elon Musk had cautiously welcomed the Home Secretary’s announcement on X.

Yes, it matters how this announcement upset the billionaires on the Pacific Coast, thousands of miles away.

You can believe that given the megaphone he has provided for this debate in recent weeks.