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Our judicial review exposed a truth every British citizen should fear
Maggie Oliver says the Government used a three-day High Court hearing to resist a judicial review over its failure to implement recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. She argues the case matters because the recommendations were intended to protect children, and the Government’s legal position could undermine confidence in promises made to survivors and future inquiries.
According to Oliver, the Government argued there is no legal duty to implement public inquiry recommendations, that delays cause survivors no legal detriment, and that she and her charity lack standing to challenge the failures. She also criticises the continued use of pain compliance techniques on some children in care. The dispute comes amid criticism of delays to recommendations from Baroness Casey’s grooming gangs audit, published in June 2025, and ahead of a further national inquiry into grooming gangs; the article says earlier recommendations date back to 2018, with related promises reaching back to 2014.
In short
- Maggie Oliver’s judicial review challenges delays in implementing child abuse inquiry recommendations.
- The Government argued public inquiry recommendations are not legally binding.
- The case raises questions about promises to survivors in a future inquiry.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A judicial review can be justified where a government’s long delay in acting on recommendations intended to protect children may leave serious risks unaddressed and weaken trust among survivors. On this view, courts should be able to examine whether the Government has acted lawfully and given adequate reasons, while public bodies and advocates need standing to raise concerns when those affected may struggle to do so themselves.
The case against
The Government can argue that inquiry recommendations do not automatically create legal duties, and that deciding how and when to implement them involves policy choices, competing priorities and public resources for which ministers are accountable to Parliament. It may also contend that a judicial review is not the right route unless the claimants can show a specific legal detriment or sufficient connection to the decision, and that courts should avoid substituting their judgement for that of elected officials.