Home Secretary promises five grooming gang inquiries will go ahead as she slams 'misinformation'

10 April 2025, 09:24

Yvette Cooper has confirmed that five promised local inquiries into grooming gangs will still go ahead - and slammed "party political" misinformation around the government's action.

The Home Secretary has denied claims Labour dropped its plans for five local grooming gang inquiries for fear of offending its Pakistani voters.

When challenged by LBC's Nick Ferrari, she said there has been "huge misinformation" on this, stating the claims were "completely wrong".

She said: "We're actually increasing, not reducing, the action being taken on this. Child sexual exploitation, grooming gangs, these are some of the most vile crimes. Things like rape or exploitation, coercion, we're increasing the action against that."

The Home Secretary revealed they have set out a local inquiry in Oldham and are drawing up the framework for further local inquiries, and there is also the Louise Casey audit that's underway at the moment.

Mr Ferrari pushed back and reminded the Home Secretary that they promised five inquiries. She confirmed the £5 million promised for five inquiries will still go ahead, suggesting there may even be more.

She said: "There's been sadly a lot of, I think, party political misinformation about this. What we should be doing is all working together to support victims and survivors of these really vile crimes.

"What we're also doing, we're putting in place stronger measures. We're strengthening the law into these gangs and we're also increasing police investigations, which is the most important thing of all because frankly these perpetrators should be behind bars.

"And if you don't get the police investigations in place, that won't happen. That is the best way to get people justice and to keep communities safe."

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Sir Trevor Phillips, the former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, lashed out at Labour after Jess Phillips appeared to row back on promises for inquiries into grooming gangs.

Sir Trevor said: "What the government is doing on that question is utterly, utterly shameful - utterly shameful and it is so obviously political.

"People in government who are responsible for this, who are in other ways completely decent people, should really be ashamed of themselves.

"Because it's so obvious that they're not doing this because of the demographic of the people involved, as Katie Lam, the Tory MP, said yesterday, largely Pakistani Muslim in background, and also in Labour held seats and councils who would be offended by it."

Ms Cooper had announced in January that “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” would take place in five areas including Oldham, Greater Manchester.

But safeguarding minister Jess Phillips faced a backlash in the Commons for not providing an update on local reviews into grooming the government had previously promised.

Instead, Ms Phillips told MPs local authorities will be able to access a £5 million fund to support locally-led work on grooming gangs.

“Following feedback from local authorities, the fund will adopt a flexible approach to support both full independent local inquiries and more bespoke work, including local victims’ panels or locally-led audits into the handling of historic cases,” the minister said.

After the statement, Conservative frontbencher Katie Lam said local inquiries are not good enough and now the government is “watering them down even further”.