Failing British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has controversially ruled out a National Inquiry into the Grooming Gangs scandal that has targeted countless British children, mostly by Islamic immigrants – but the issue will not go away so easily.
Besides Reform UK and Conservative Party both condemning the move, as well as large sectors of the society, now a trend is starting inside Starmer’s own Labour party in which top party figures and MPs are starting to break rank and publicly demand for the National Inquiry to take place.
Today (13) it arose that the Labour MP representing the ‘grooming hot spot’ of Rotherham has made a U-turn, and is demanding a National Inquiry into the scandal.
The Telegraph reported:
“Sarah Champion said that ‘nothing less than a national inquiry into the failings of those in authority to prevent and be accountable for their failings’ would restore public faith. Only a week ago the MP warned that an inquiry would mean ‘another 10 years of waiting’.”
This comes mere hours after Labour MP for Rochdale, Paul Waugh, also called for a national probe.
More than 1,400 girls in Rotherham fell victim to grooming, rape and sexual abuse between 1997 and 2013. Most of the perpetrators were British Pakistanis.
Champion stated that Child sexual abuse ‘is endemic in the UK’ and has to be treated as a national priority.
“It is clear that the public distrusts governments and authorities when it comes to preventing and prosecuting child abuse, especially child sexual exploitation. The statistics on these crimes show the scale of the problem; the high level of public concern and mistrust only emphasizes why addressing all forms of child abuse must be a government priority.
Having worked widely with victims and survivors, and front-line professionals, I have long believed that we need to fully understand the nature of this crime and the failures in the response of public bodies if we are to truly protect children.
It is clear that nothing less than a national inquiry into the failings of those in authority to both prevent, and be accountable for their failings, in relation to grooming gangs will restore the faith in our safeguarding systems.”
Champion called on Starmer to implement all of the recommendations from the Prof. Alexis Jay inquiry into child sex abuse.
“The MP requested a national audit to see if ‘grooming gangs’ are still operating, or whether cases have been missed, as well as a national inquiry into the failings of authorities over grooming gangs. […] Transparency and accountability need to be embedded into this process, with victims and survivors sitting at its heart’.”
Read more:
