The Scottish Government is facing a severe crisis of confidence over its handling of historical child sexual exploitation, after the mother of a young victim publicly declared she has no faith in Justice Secretary Angela Constance to oversee any meaningful probe.
Victims' Families Demand Judge-Led Inquiry
The controversy erupted after SNP ministers announced a review into grooming gang crimes on Wednesday, but pointedly stopped short of establishing the full judge-led public inquiry demanded by survivors and opposition parties. The review will be led by Professor Alexis Jay, who previously investigated exploitation scandals in England and Wales, and will examine the extent of the crime across Scotland's police, health, care, and education services.
However, the announcement was immediately overshadowed by fierce criticism directed at Ms Constance. At First Minister's Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay revealed that the mother of 'Taylor' – a girl who was gang-raped at age 13 by a ring of Pakistani men while in care – had told him there was "no substance to anything that Angela Constance says" and that "she cannot oversee anything."
Allegations of Misrepresentation and Broken Trust
The political storm intensified over claims that Ms Constance had previously misrepresented Professor Jay's position. Mr Findlay accused the Justice Secretary of having misled parliament and the public in September by stating that Prof Jay shared her view that a Scottish inquiry was unnecessary – a claim later disproven.
"Does John Swinney think that the justice secretary’s statement was honest?" Mr Findlay challenged the First Minister. In response, Mr Swinney stood firmly by his minister, stating, "Yes, I do. It was a reflection of the general comment that was being made about the issues at the time."
Dismissing this defence as "absolutely incredible," Mr Findlay demanded an ethics probe into Ms Constance and called for her sacking if she was found to have breached the Ministerial Code. He argued that the decision to have Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth announce the review, rather than Ms Constance, was a sign the First Minister had also lost confidence in her.
Government Defends Review Amid Mounting Pressure
First Minister John Swinney denied this, explaining that Ms Gilruth made the announcement because she holds cabinet responsibility for child protection. He insisted Ms Constance, alongside children's minister Natalie Don and community safety minister Siobhian Brown, would also be involved.
Mr Swinney strongly defended the review's integrity, rejecting accusations that it would allow public bodies to "mark their own homework." He expressed absolute confidence in independent statutory bodies like the Care Inspectorate and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.
Despite these assurances, opposition parties and victims' advocates remain deeply sceptical. Mr Findlay concluded, "The SNP have been shamed into launching a grooming gangs review... Victims don’t trust Angela Constance, they don’t trust the SNP or the authorities who have already failed them. They deserve answers, they deserve justice, and that can only be achieved by a free, fearless and independent inquiry." The Government has stated it will decide on whether to hold a full inquiry after the review reports its findings.
