UK Government Backs Modern Slavery Finding but Resists Survivors' Demand for Public Inquiry

The Home Office formally identified Rachel Louw as a victim of trafficking and modern slavery in April 2026, finding she was trafficked across the UK and France. Yet survivors told the BBC the government expressed "huge scepticism" about a statutory public inquiry into Al Fayed abuse allegations—despite the NRM determination that at least one victim meets the legal trafficking threshold. A statutory inquiry carries compulsory evidence powers that survivors regard as essential for institutional accountability.