Grooming gangs: First Minister says he has confidence in SNP justice secretary who 'misled' parliament

On Wednesday the Scottish Government announced there will now be a review into child grooming gangs in Scotland after months of mounting pressure.

However Justice Secretary Angela Constance has faced repeated calls to resign after she said that child exploitation expert Professor Alexis Jay did not want a full independent inquiry.

Professor Jay asked for the record to be corrected on this matter. She will now oversee the review into grooming gangs in Scotland.

At first minister’s questions on Thursday, the Scottish Conservatives called once again for a “free and fearless” independent public inquiry as opposed to just a review, and urged the First Minister to sack Ms Constance from his frontbench team.

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When asked if he thinks Ms Constance’s statement on Professor Jay was “honest”, Mr Swinney said: “Yes I do - it was a reflection on the general comment made about issues at the time.”

Mr Findlay said the First Minister’s comment was “absolutely incredible”.

He said: “At no point did Professor Jay say there should be no further inquiries into grooming gangs in Scotland.

“She misrepresented Professor Jay, she misled parliament and she misled the public.

“She then went AWOL - on November 19 she was not here to answer urgent questions on this misrepresentation. On November 25 she put a junior member up to answer questions on the lack of a grooming gangs inquiry. On November 26 she sat in silence when we challenged this.

“Yesterday she broke her silence, but she has made no apology and didn’t accept any wrongdoing whatsoever.

“Her misleading of parliament must be investigated - will John Swinney support it and if it finds against her, will he sack her?”

Mr Swinney said he was “satisfied” with the matter. Mr Findlay then suggested the First Minister had lost confidence in his justice secretary because the grooming gangs review was announced by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth instead - Mr Swinney said that was “not the case”.

Mr Findlay said: “It sounds like the justice secretary will not have responsibility for this review into the mass organised criminality and the First Minister says there is nothing unusual about that.

“The SNP has been shamed into launching a grooming gangs review, but victims think it is public bodies marking their own homework and the government will control the findings.

“This is why a review is not good enough and an independent inquiry is needed.

“Victims don’t trust Angela Constance, the SNP or the authorities who have already failed them. They deserve answers and justice and that can only be achieved by a free and fearless independent inquiry - why can’t he see this?”