The British state has failed the victims of grooming gangs

The Government has rejected calls for a afloat nationalist enquiry into grooming gangs (Image: Katie Pugh)

In astatine slightest 50 – 50! – towns successful our beauteous country, determination are gangs of men who person committed racially aggravated crimes against children.

These children person been tortured and raped successful ways truthful horrific, truthful depraved and disgusting, that it would consciousness indecent to picture them here.
 
How galore of these men were there? Where did they travel from? How person they been punished – however galore were arrested, imprisoned, deported? How galore are present surviving among their victims?
 
What did the authorities cognize and when? What did they bash astir it? How precisely did fearfulness of being called racist, oregon “inflaming assemblage tensions”, halt radical redeeming these girls?

Would that inactive hap now? How is it imaginable that not 1 idiosyncratic has been convicted for covering up these industrialised rapes?

How has this happened successful truthful galore places crossed the nation? What deeper and darker truths does that uncover astir our country?

And is it inactive happening – are determination small girls close present retired determination determination successful Britain being sexually tortured by gangs of men who spot them arsenic a little signifier of life?
 
These questions – the past astir of each – support maine up astatine night. And we person either nary answers oregon precise partial ones. The thought that the Government’s reluctant solution of 5 section inquiries volition supply those answers is insane.
 
It’s 5 places and not 50, truthful astir each towns volition get nary answers whatsoever. But adjacent a afloat acceptable of section inquiries wouldn’t beryllium astir enough.
 
Local inquiries person nary ineligible powers to summon witnesses oregon evidence. They volition lone beryllium held by section authorities who take to clasp them – those aforesaid authorities accused of corruption and collusion successful these crimes.

Local inquiries tin ne'er code cardinal authorities issues, similar what it would instrumentality to deport each past 1 of these perpetrators wherever they are overseas nationals.
 
That’s wherefore the Conservatives person called, and volition support calling, for a nationalist inquiry. We person forced a ballot successful Parliament to inquire the Government to bash the close thing, and we volition bash truthful again and again.

Even Labour politicians from the worst affected areas are calling for a nationalist inquiry. This is nary bandwagon.
 
The British authorities has failed these children capable already. Nothing – and surely not causing offence – is much important than protecting them now. That is our priority. What astir you, Prime Minister?