Labour MPs call for Britain-wide probe into rape gangs

The calls come just a week after the voting down of a Tory-proposed amendment to child protection bill envisioning such an inquiry

Only a nationwide inquiry into the grooming gangs and the authorities’ handling of the sex-abuse scandal can restore the public trust, a Labour MP for Rotheram and advocate for women and children’s rights, Sarah Champion, has said.

The lawmaker, who represents one of Britain’s worst rape hotspots, made the call in a statement on Monday, saying Child sexual abuse has become an “endemic” problem for the UK and must be recognized 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 MP said.

The statement constituted a sharp change in Champion’s stance on a potential inquiry, as the MP appeared to reject the idea just a week ago. During a debate in the Commons on a Conservative-proposed amendment to a child protection bill that would have set up a national inquiry into the grooming gangs, the MP called for immediate implementation of the recommendations outlined in the 2022 Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse instead.

“With the best will in the world – you all know me; I am not making a party-political point – another inquiry will mean another ten years of waiting,” she reasoned at the time.

The Tory amendment fell through, getting overwhelmingly rejected by the parliament by 364 votes to 111, with all 411 Labour MPs either voting against it or abstaining.

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Earlier in the day, Paul Waugh, a Labour MP for another grooming hotspot, Rochdale, had made similar remarks while speaking to BBC News. 

“I’m not against a national inquiry but it has got to have some key caveats,” the MP said, raising concerns about the victims of the abuse having “to re-experience their trauma every time they explain this” as well as suggesting the probe should “not cut across live police investigations.”

The notorious grooming gangs, primarily involving men of Pakistani origin, have been active in the UK for decades, engaging in the systematic rape torture of vulnerable girls. According to multiple independent inquiries, public authorities have shown a failure to properly investigate the crimes or to bring perpetrators to justice, opting to hide the incidents instead.

The long-standing controversy has gained new attention in recent weeks due to criticism from US-based billionaire Elon Musk. Musk has publicly attacked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for his resignation and prosecution. Starmer served as the head of the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service from 2008 to 2013, during which Musk accused him of inadequately addressing the issue of grooming gangs. In response, Starmer condemned Musk’s statements as “lies and misinformation” and has rejected calls for a new inquiry into the matter.