MPs try to force grooming gang inquiry

Telegraph

29-04-2025

MPs have backed campaigners in a cross-party demand for a national public inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.
Labour, Tory and Reform UK politicians have backed an 18-month inquiry set up under a parliamentary statute with powers to compel witnesses to attend.
They are proposing it would investigate and name any institutions or individuals responsible for covering up the child sex abuse perpetrated by grooming gangs.
Among those backing the call are Labour peer Lord Glasman, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, and Katie Lam, a Tory frontbencher and former Home Office adviser.
A Bill that could enact the inquiry has been drafted by Crush Crime, a campaign group.
'The public demands justice. There can be no further excuses for delays. There must be no stone left unturned in the search for the truth,' said Dr Lawrence Newport, director of the campaign.
'This is a chance for politicians to end the cover-up culture. We gave the Government a chance to do the right thing – but we are now forced to bring forward our own bill because they have failed to act.'
His comments came as Jess Phillips, Home Office minister, told MPs she expected local inquiries into grooming gangs to 'go further' than the five already announced.
The Government has so far rejected calls for a full national inquiry but is awaiting the findings from an audit by Baroness Casey into grooming, its scale, nature and profile of the gangs behind it, including the characteristics of offenders.
Ms Phillips told MPs: 'Whilst we have committed to five, I expect to actually go further and I will answer the question of when the framework for what local authorities will be tasked with, will be released later in May as will Baroness Casey's review, which I have committed to publishing.'
She added: 'I'm going to go on the basis of facts, and I'm going to follow them wherever they tell me. Wherever they tell me there are victims that need help, that is where I will go.'
Backing the calls for a national inquiry, however, Lord Glasman said: 'The gangs are still operating. The British public expect action so the police and other services finally get a grip of this disgrace. I support an inquiry to get to the truth and improve how all parts of the state deal with sexual abuse of children'.
Mr Philp said: 'Only a national public inquiry will get to the truth. Local councils, local police forces and even the then chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party covered up these sickening crimes because of misplaced concerns about community relations.
'Statutory powers are needed to force the disclosure of evidence. A handful of local enquiries are totally inadequate, and the government seem to be backtracking even on this. I will be pushing an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to a vote on the floor of the House to establish a national rape gang inquiry.'
Mr Farage said: 'Labour and Tories have failed on the grooming gangs. They have failed to bring justice to the thousands of victims across multiple decades of these horrific crimes. They have failed to hold anyone in authority to account for years of cover-ups and failure.
'We must have a comprehensive inquiry that no authority or offender can hide from.
'We must stop the judges keeping these criminal trials secret, an outrageous recent development that the government ignores. We must have a national inquiry so we stop the gangs that are still organising the sexual abuse of children today.'
Ms Lam said: 'Thousands of victims in dozens of communities have had their lives ruined by these gangs. The state has failed these children and their families time and time again.
'In many towns, gangs will still be operating, and the public servants who covered up these crimes have faced no consequences.
'We need a full, independent national inquiry to uncover the scale of these horrors: the victims deserve justice, and the public deserves to know the truth.'