Police to reinvestigate child sexual exploitation cases
Fresh investigations could be launched into 287 child sexual exploitation cases that had been dropped by local police forces, Yvette Cooper has told MPs.The home secretary said the cases had been handed to a national police taskforce which will look at whether to reopen them and "pursue any new lines of inquiry that have not been properly pursued".In January, Cooper asked all police forces in England and Wales to "look again at historic gang exploitation cases where 'No Further Action' was taken".So far half of the forces have reported back, with 287 cases identified for review by the national Police Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce.
"Now we are awaiting reports back from the other half of police forces," Cooper told the Commons Home Affairs Committee earlier on Tuesday.The government has resisted opposition calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs with powers to compel witnesses to give evidence. Instead, it has pledged £5m in funding for at least five local inquiries, with the location of those yet to be announced. It also commissioned veteran Whitehall troubleshooter Dame Louise Casey to carry out a "rapid" review of the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, and a framework for the local inquiries.Casey had been due to release her report last month but has asked for a "short extension," Cooper told MPs."We do need her audit to inform the next steps and decisions around the local inquiries," she said.In January, the national taskforce reported that there were 127 major police investigations underway on child sexual exploitation and gang grooming across 29 different police forces.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
32 minutes ago
- Sky News
Diplomatic win for UK hosting US-China trade talks
Sky News understands that the Trump administration approached the UK government to ask if it would host round two of the US-China trade talks. This is a useful 'diplo-win' for the UK. The first round was held in Geneva last month. News of that happening came as a surprise. The Chinese and the Americans were in the midst of a Trump-instigated trade war. President Trump was en route to Saudi Arabia and suddenly we got word of talks in Switzerland. They went surprisingly well. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng, met face-to-face and agreed to suspend most tariffs for 90 days. But two weeks later, the Trump administration accused Beijing of breaking the agreements reached in Geneva. Beijing threw the blame back at Washington. On Wednesday, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping spoke by phone. The Chinese claimed this call was at the Americans' request. Either way, the consequence was that the talks were back on track. "I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, trade deal," President Trump said this week. From that call came the impetus for a second round of talks. A venue was needed. In stepped the UK at short notice. Beyond being geographically convenient, UK government sources suggest that Britain is geopolitically in the right place right now to act as this bridge and facilitator. The UK-China relationship is in the process of a "reset". Other locations, like Brussels or other EU capitals, would have been less workable. Crucially too, for the UK, this is also potentially advantageous as it seeks to get its own UK-US trade agreement, to eliminate or massively reduce tariffs, over the line. 5:08 Talks on reaching the "implementation phase" have been near-continuous since the announcement last month, but having the American principals in London is a plus. Sideline talks are possible, but even the presence of the US team in the UK is helpful. For all the chaos that President Trump is causing with his tariffs, he has instigated face-to-face conversations as he seeks resets. Key players are sitting down around tables - yes, to untangle the trade knots which Trump tied, but this whole episode has pulled foes together around the same table; it has forced relationships and maybe mutual understanding. That's useful. And for this next round, between superpowers, the UK is the host. Also useful.
South Wales Argus
42 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Welsh Government funding of £19m will help protect ancient woodlands
The funding aligns with the government's newly-outlined strategy to enhance the protection of Wales' ancient woodlands and trees. Huw Irranca-Davies, deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, said: "Wales' ancient woodlands are of international importance and have an important place in the landscape and history, protecting carbon-rich soils and seed banks beneath them. "They take centuries to form and are an irreplaceable resource." As part of this new approach, the government will focus on improving the resilience of temperate rainforests, as pointed out by the Alliance for Wales' Rainforests. Mr Irranca-Davies said: "Planning Policy Wales has been strengthened to provide a stronger framework for local planning authorities to secure the protection of ancient trees and woodland. "We are revising our Tree Preservation Order regulations as part of the work on the Planning (Wales) Bill." The Welsh government also made recent amendments to forestry legislation, which now allows Natural Resources Wales to better protect veteran trees and ancient woodland during felling operations. Further initiatives include the implementation of recommendations from the four-year review of the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021. These will introduce measures specifically designed to contribute to achieving statutory emission reduction commitments. Under the Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals, optional actions will be provided to manage existing woodlands, including ancient woodlands, to increase their condition and resilience. The government will engage with stakeholders and consider budget availability before implementing these actions. The strategy also includes initiatives to improve air quality and reduce air pollution's negative impact on ancient woodland sites. The National Forest for Wales programme has provided support to restore and maintain ancient woodland through various schemes. Mr Irranca-Davies said: "Our approach does not intend to be an exhaustive list of all the possible threats and interventions, but a focus on the strategic priorities. "It brings together work across government departments and their stakeholders which strengthen protection for our irreplaceable ancient woodlands."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Gardeners' World fave reveals £2 Asda trick to feed family veg all summer – & it's perfect for small spaces
WHAT could you do with a square meter in your outside space? Turns out - quite a lot - says Gardeners' World presenter Nick Bailey - who's spearheading new campaign Make a Metre Matter. 2 2 He wants to get Sun Gardening readers involved too - supporting wildlife and sustainability - and making the planet a better place. 'There's 20 million gardens in Britain. If 20 million people just dedicated one metre, that's quite a lot of metres isn't it?,' he told me. 'There are loads of ways you can make a meaningful difference, including growing plants for pollinators, growing veg to cut down on food miles and creating a compost heap.' Nick's created a Headline Show Garden for BBC Gardeners' World Live later this month - with lots of Make a Metre Matter ideas to take home. He added: 'You can grow nine lettuces in that space. You could grow four compact courgettes and supply your family with more courgettes than you could eat for the summer." Currently Asda are selling courgette seeds for £2 - and you can get them in the ground now. 'You could choose to put acid compost in there and put four blueberries in there " he said. "Within your first harvest you've made your money back.' 'Equally you could just sow some British native wildflowers, which could be as cheap as £2 to £3 for a packet. 'It will give you a brilliant long run of colour from May through to October, with lots of interest for pollinators. Gardeners' World's Monty Don fears 'decayed' knees from years of gardening could cut short TV career 'You could also create a square metre pond. In the first month you'll have about 10 species in the pond. "A year down the line you'll have 20 plus species and it just goes up and up and up. 'Insect and bees will come and feed from there, you'll support birds, you're supporting the aquatic life itself. 'It doesn't have to be a big space to make a big impact.' If you're inspired to make a difference - you can register your meter to be entered into a Gardeners World prize draw to win a £1k voucher to spend at Crocus or two runner up Crocus prizes of £500. Visit for more information. Gardeners World Live takes place at Birmingham NEC from June 12 - 15. Top tips, news and a great competition to win a £100 Westland plant feed bundle. TOP TIP Salvias are coming into their prime right now - especially the Mexican hardy shrubby ones like Hot Lips, Limelight and Amistad. To ensure you get the best blooms all summer, we've got some top tips from expert William Dyson, from Great Comp Garden in Kent Grow them in pots, or in your borders - they like free draining soil and sunshine. If you give them an extra chop in mid to late of July - cutting a third of the growth- they'll spring back and reward you with tons of flowers until November. Companion plant with perennials to give a cottage garden look Or make a statement in a large pot. Don't let them get too dry - they do like to be watered, Don't feed them with nitrogen plant food because you'll get more leaves and less flowers. Great Comp's summer garden show is on August 9 and 10. NEWS! The Beardy Gardener - an award-winning garden designer, broadcaster and mental health advocate, is hosting his first ever Garden Gathering on June 21 at the Longstock Park Nursery on the Leckford Estate, near Andover. The event supports Andover Mind 's 'Garden for Mind' initiative, a therapeutic green space dedicated to enhancing mental health and wellbeing. The Garden Gathering promises a vibrant day filled with expert-led workshops, live demonstrations, plant sales, and family-friendly activities. For more info visit NEWS! The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens across the UK while raising money for nursing and health charities. Visit the website to find a garden near you open this week. WIN! Thanks to Westland - we're giving away two amazing plant feed bundles worth over £100 each. Each one contains Boost Boost All Purpose Granules, plant feed, Big Tom, Rose feed, bug gard and others. To enter visit or write to Sun Westland Boost competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. June 28, 2025. T&Cs apply. JOB OF THE WEEK You can move a lot of houseplants outside now to make space or give them a bit of a boost with natural light. Water hanging baskets daily, start deadheading roses. TOP TIP - if you, like me, are struggling with blackfly right now - make a spray of washing up liquid (Ecover is best) and water - and give them a good soaking.
