Yvette Cooper is to announce a number of local inquiries into failures into tackling Asian grooming gangs in around 50 towns across the UK.
The home secretary is set to make an announcement in the Commons after three Labour MPs from the north west and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham broke ranks to demand a rethink.
Last week the government, in particular safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and the prime minister Keir Starmer, came under furious attack from right-wing figures, led by X owner Elon Musk, after they decided not to hold a national inquiry into the scandal.
But with pressure mounting the government has instead agreed to a series of local inquiries into failures, with a budget of £10 million.
It followed Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh all demanding that an inquiry was held.
It is understood that the local reviews will be led by Baroness Louise Casey,and will focus on the “cultural drivers” and ethnicity of the gangs involved in the grooming and rape of underage girls.
Ms Cooper is also expected to announce that she will ask police forces to reopen “cold cases” relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls.
But local inquiries into the grooming gang scandal was condemned by the former Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies who said they were “not sufficient”.
“This dreadful scandal was able to continue because of huge issues within our institutions, so we need to understand how the culture within those institutions worked. Only with a national inquiry can we join the dots and really get to the bottom of this issue for victims.”
But Ms Champion backed the expected announcement.
She recently wrote a five-point plan which called on the Home Office to mandate “local inquiries around the country to hold authorities to account – which then report back to the government.”
She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Wow! Looks like the Government is accepting my 5 point plan to prevent child abuse and expose cover-ups over Grooming gangs! Statement approx 2pm – I’ll be all over the details!!”
More to follow….
