Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
A group of MPs has called for the government’s inquiry into grooming gangs to include a focused investigation on London. In a letter obtained by the BBC, eight Conservative MPs along with three members of the London Assembly urge Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to take immediate action on this issue. Among the signatories are notable figures such as the shadow home secretary Chris Philp and former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
The demand follows a recent BBC News investigation that revealed vulnerable girls, some as young as 14, were being coerced into sexual exploitation by gangs operating within the capital. The letter highlights chilling testimonies from survivors, who described being raped by multiple men as a form of payment for drug debts imposed by controlling gangs. Others reported being groomed for sexual exploitation. The MPs expressed their shock at these findings and criticized the authorities in London for failing to adequately address the problem, noting that similar grooming gangs have been identified across the country.
In response to these concerns, the government has declared it will establish a comprehensive national statutory inquiry to cover grooming gangs across England and Wales. This inquiry will feature local investigations, which will proceed even without the consent of local authorities. However, there remains uncertainty about which areas will be prioritized for these investigations. The MPs insist that one such inquiry must focus on London and have called on the Metropolitan Police to form a dedicated unit tasked with tackling these cases and bringing perpetrators to justice.
A spokesperson for the Home Office stated that the specific local areas for inquiry will be determined by the inquiry chair in due course and emphasized the heinous nature of sexual and criminal abuse directed at children. Former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield has been appointed to lead the inquiry, which will be formally established with its final terms of reference published by March 31. This initiative follows recommendations from Baroness Louise Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse published in June 2025. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that specialist officers already investigate such cases and that a dedicated unit is reviewing thousands of child sexual exploitation cases from the past 15 years, with ongoing training provided to frontline officers. The Mayor’s office reiterated Sir Sadiq Khan’s commitment to ensuring the police pursue all evidence related to child sexual exploitation in London, aiming to create a safer city for all residents
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.