Baroness Claire Fox: Will the Abuse & Grooming Gangs Inquiry Deliver?

The government has done a U-turn and decided a full national inquiry into the rape and grooming gangs is indeed necessary. But there have been 10 different inquiries already. How do we know this one will uncover the full truth, deal with the real horrors, deliver for the victims and ensure we do everything we can to stop there being future victims – how, in short, can we measure that this inquiry will deliver for the victims and for society?

This panel discussion is organised by the Agora Debate Club London The ticket price includes a drinks reception from 6pm.

Our panel, consisting of the Independent member of the House of Lords, Baroness Claire Fox, the journalist and campaigner for victims of the rape gangs, Raja Miah, and the barrister and human rights expert, Dr. Anna Loutfi. We will also be joined on screen by the abuse survivor Ellie Reynolds.

The discussion will be chaired by the satirist and author Dominic Frisby.

Our Panel:

Baroness Claire Fox:

Claire Fox is the director of the Academy of Ideas, which she established to create a public space where ideas can be contested without constraint. In May 2019, she was elected as an MEP for the North West England constituency of the UK in the European Parliament elections. In 2020, she was made a visiting professor in professional practice at the University of Buckingham. In September 2020, Claire became a member of the House of Lords as Baroness Fox of Buckley.

Claire is frequently invited to comment on developments in culture, education, media and free speech issues on TV and radio programmes in the UK such as Newsnight and Any Questions? She has been a regular newspaper reviewer on Sky News and is a monthly columnist for MJ (Municipal Journal). She was the longest-standing panellist on BBC Radio 4’s The Moral Maze for over 20 years until 2020. She also convenes the annual current affairs weekend event, Battle of Ideas.

Raja Miah, MBE:

Described a dangerous man by leaders in the Labour Party, Raja Miah, MBE, educates working-class white communities and anti-sectarians from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to hold politicians to account and safeguard communities from the real extremists.

At just 30 years old, he was awarded an MBE for his services to the community. With over 25 years of experience, Raja has dedicated his career to supporting marginalised communities, often dismissed as racist. He has created platforms for working-class voices that have been ignored by politicians and policymakers.

Despite censorship and mainstream media blackouts, Raja’s explosive Welcome to Oldham series reached over 1 million viewers, uncovering the truth about grooming gangs, local government corruption, and the divisive tactics of political elites.

Dr. Anna Loutfi:

Dr Anna Loutfi is a practising employment / human rights barrister and legal researcher. She holds a PhD in legal history and is especially interested in how law intersects with politics and ‘culture wars’. Her new podcast, De Facto, launches this year, and aims to provide cutting edge legal commentary for a lay audience.

Anna comments widely on issues that touch on how law is applied, and her lecture Belief, Opinion & Freedom of Speech at the Danube Institute in 2023 is a brilliant exposition on free speech in the Common Law. Anna is concerned with the importance of a shared legal value system across communities in order for the Rule of Law to work, and how misunderstood political correctness can lead to a breakdown in how justice is done or seen to be done.

Debate chair Dominic Frisby:

Best known by many for his satirical songs, Dominic has written several books, including Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future, Bitcoin: The Future of Money?, Life After the State, and most recently The Secret History of Gold, which explore economic and historical issues such as money, gold, taxation, bitcoin, and investment.

He hosted Money Pit with Jason Manford on Dave and appeared on BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze to discuss the morality of comedy.

Dominic has been a prolific voiceover artist since 1993 and in 2025 he appeared in Grooming Gangs Cover Up, a 100% verbatim drama based on the judge's sentencing remarks, telling the true story of one of the UK's most infamous Pakistani rape gangs.

Survivor:

Ellie Raynolds is from Barrow in Furness. She experienced horrific abuse which she has spoken about in a Channel 4 documentary, on Good Morning Britain, Talk TV, GB News, and a range of other media outlets. Ms Reynolds is determined to use the voice that was denied her in standing up for victims and make sure that we are not allowed to forget how society failed these predominantly young girls but also boys.

The Survivors' Trust

The Survivors Trust is a national membership organisation supporting specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the voluntary sector. We have over 120 member organisations throughout the UK and Ireland who provide specialist support services to over 100,000 survivors each year. They will have a representative on the panel and in the room, so you will be able to talk with them before or after the main event.

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