I’ve been informed that the Independent Rape Gang Inquiry led by Rupert Lowe is due to release its report soon.
For transparency, I am a Reform UK member. I attended one day of the inquiry process and initially supported it because I support inquiries into grooming gangs wherever they lead.
I have personally met Rupert Lowe, spoken to him directly, and made no secret of the fact that I am a Reform UK member.
Rupert Lowe was removed from Reform UK and continued as an independent MP. He subsequently launched a fundraising appeal for an independent rape gang inquiry through a CIC. Witness testimony was gathered and evidence collected.
At that stage, Restore was a movement, not a political party. A matter of days after the witness testimony phase concluded, Restore was launched as a political party.
That was the point at which I started to question the separation between the inquiry and the political project.
My concerns are not based solely on the timeline. Several victims who had been involved with the inquiry contacted me after they were no longer included. They provided evidence of their interactions, questioned the reasons they were dropped, and showed me public attacks they received after raising concerns. As an advocate, I took those concerns seriously.
A few weeks ago, I publicly stated that I no longer supported the inquiry in its current form. Some Restore supporters claimed that was because I support Reform UK.
I find that argument difficult to accept. I was a Reform member when I attended the inquiry and when I supported it. I am a Reform member today. My politics have not changed. My view of the inquiry has.
Questions have also been raised about the inquiry’s registration, governance and structure. The report has been anticipated for months and may now be released during an election period in which Rupert Lowe is standing as a candidate.
Originally, I viewed the timing as coincidence. Looking at the chronology and the concerns raised by victims, I am no longer convinced.
As for the report itself, I will judge it on the evidence. I will be looking at the ethnicity of perpetrators and victims, how many victims were interviewed, whether the sample is representative, and whether the findings reflect the wider national picture.
If the methodology is sound, it will stand up to scrutiny. If it appears selective, incomplete, or politically driven, I will question its credibility.
For me, this has never been about political parties. It has always been about the victims and the truth