The Conservatives have reiterated their calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, as they say the what the Government has done on the matter is “not enough”.
The Tories will table an amendment to the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill which, if accepted, would mean ministers have to set up an inquiry that would examine grooming gang offending and whether there have been failures by police forces, government and other authorities.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has said that his party “will not stop fighting for justice for the victims of these heinous crimes”.
Political debate over grooming gangs raged earlier this year after a series of attacks from Elon Musk aimed towards Sir Keir Starmer over the issue.
In the wake of the discussions, the Home Secretary announced a series of local reviews into the matter and ordered a rapid review of the “current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation across the country”.
The full text of the amendment details that if it is accepted, a statutory inquiry into grooming gangs must be set up within three months.
It should look to identify patterns of behaviour between gangs, as well as the type and extent of crimes committed.
It would also look at whether there have been failings by police services, local authorities, charities, government or healthcare services among other bodies.
Mr Philp said: “The Conservative Party will not stop fighting for justice for the victims of these heinous crimes.
“Labour have dithered and delayed for too long, and what limited action they have announced is simply not enough to provide the full truth.
“This is why the Conservatives are taking real action – working day in and day out to deliver justice, not personal posturing like other parties.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said that the party “have not let this issue of a national inquiry go”.
She said she had met with campaigners who have said they want “justice served”, and she added: “We know there has been a lot of investigation, but it has not been anywhere near the scale required in order to get to the root of what’s been happening across our country.”
It is not the first time the Conservatives have attempted to force the Government into an inquiry.
The opposition tabled a motion to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in January demanding a new national inquiry, which if it had been accepted would have prevented the legislation from making progress in Parliament.
MPs voted to reject the motion by 364 votes to 111, majority 253.
Earlier this year, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced an audit looking into the scale and nature of “gang-based exploitation” across the country.
She told the Commons in January: “As we have seen, effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally relevant answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide.”
In March, Home Office minister Jess Phillips told MPs that there would be “an update very soon” when asked about the locations of the promised inquiries.
In response to the Conservatives’ announcement, a Labour Party spokesperson accused Mrs Badenoch and Mr Philp of a “hypocritical attempt to make political capital out of an issue they could not have cared less about when they were actually in government”.
Referring to their time in government, the spokesperson said: “Not once in that time did either of them mention the issue of grooming gangs in any of their speeches in the House of Commons. Not once did they hold a meeting with any external individual or organisation to discuss the issue of grooming gangs: not one victim; not one expert on sexual abuse; not one local authority; not one local police force.
“And worst of all, not once did they lift a finger to implement any of the recommendations of Alexis Jay’s seven-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse. No wonder they are pretending that inquiry never happened, when they ignored it so completely after its publication.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Government is committed to doing everything it can to tackle the horrific crime of child sexual abuse, and will be setting out our progress in this area to parliament next week.
“We are working with local areas to draw-up a national framework to support further local inquiries and investigations backed by a £5m fund to help strengthen local responses to child sexual exploitation.
“Baroness Casey has made significant progress on her rapid audit of the current scale and nature of gang based abuse in recent months and will present findings to Ministers in due course. Under new laws, the Government is also making it a legal requirement for teachers, healthcare workers and other relevant professions to report child sexual abuse and introducing criminal sanctions for those who cover it up.”
