Baroness Claire Fox and The Survivors' Trust: Will the Rape & Grooming Gangs Inquiry Deliver for the Victims?

The Agora Debate Club London presents:

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? 

There will be a reception from 6pm where you can meet the participants and then the programme starts at 7pm.

Our panel consists of  the Independent member of the House of Lords, Baroness Claire Fox; Policy Lead at The Survivors Trust, Lucy Duckworth; Director at Switalskis Solicitors, David Greenwood; King's College Law Society member and human rights barrister, Dr Anna Loutfi; journalist and campaigner for victims of the rape gangs, Raja Miah MBE; and we will also hear from a survivor, Ellie Reynolds. The discussion will be chaired by the author and satirist Dominic Frisby. 

The net proceeds from this event will go to support the import work done by The Survivors' Trust

The venue is the charming Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall, Central London.

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.

Survivor:

Ellie Reynolds will be joining us via video link to talk from her perspective as a survivor of horrific abuse. Ellie is from Barrow in Furness and have appeared in a Channel 4 Documentary as well as Good Morning Britain, Talk TV, GB News and other news outlets.

Lucy Duckworth, Policy Lead, The Survivors Trust

Lucy began her career as a primary school teacher, working with children with severe special educational needs, where she first recognised the importance of trauma-informed approaches. Drawing on this experience and her own lived experience, she trained in therapeutic care and became a leading campaigner and adviser in the specialist sexual violence sector. Lucy advised on the setup of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and served on its Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel for eight years, contributing to survivor engagement, research projects, and policy development, and continues to champion the implementation of the Inquiry’s recommendations.

As Policy Lead at The Survivors Trust, Lucy regularly consults with governments, corporations, universities, and the voluntary sector, designing and delivering bespoke trauma-informed training and awareness initiatives. She co-created The Survivors Trust’s #CheckWithMeFirst programme, supporting NHS staff to adopt trauma-informed approaches, and sits on multiple cross-sector advisory groups. Lucy combines her expertise in teaching, counselling, and research to inform national conversations on supporting survivors, preventing sexual violence, and reforming systemic responses across public, private, and voluntary sectors.

David Greenwood, Director, Switalskis Solicitors

David Greenwood is Head of the Child Abuse Compensation team at Switalskis and one of the UK’s leading solicitors for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation. He has represented thousands of survivors nationwide and is known for combining legal expertise with a personal, survivor-focused approach. David played a pivotal role in uncovering the Rotherham grooming scandal, working with whistle-blowers and survivor organisations, and continues to represent more than 100 survivors in Rotherham as well as many others across the country. He has also been instrumental in securing justice for those abused in detention centres such as Medomsley and Eastwood Park, successfully campaigning for compensation schemes to be introduced.

Beyond individual cases, David has had a major impact on policy and reform. He was a key participant in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), representing many core participants and pressing for reforms such as mandatory reporting, an end to time limits, and a no-fault compensation scheme. His national reputation is supported by high-profile media appearances, published works on abuse scandals, and accredited memberships with survivor and legal organisations, including ACAL, MACSAS, and APIL. David is widely recognised for combining legal expertise with a personal, survivor-focused approach, ensuring trust and support remain at the heart of his work.

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.

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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