London will be one of the first places to be investigated in an official inquiry into the gangs, alongside Oldham and Bradford and Keighley
Should Sadiq Khan resign over the grooming gangs scandal? (Image: Getty)
London mayor Sadiq Khan was accused of “living under a rock” after the Daily Express exposed a major grooming gangs scandal in the capital. The Met Police began reviewing 9,000 cases of child sexual exploitation over the last 15 years in the capital, with Khan having mayored London for 10 of those years.
A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan said he regarded gangs that exploit children for sex as “utterly abhorrent” and he wanted justice for “every single victim”. However, he has been widely criticised for his approach to the scandal after he suggested that the issue in London was different from that in other areas. Express Investigations Editor, Zak Garner-Purkis, recently told Mr Khan there was a “denial” from those in power. So what do you think? Should Sadiq Khan resign over the grooming gangs scandal? Vote in the poll below or join the discussion in the comments.
This week, it was confirmed that London will be one of the first places to be investigated in an official inquiry into the gangs, alongside Oldham and Bradford and Keighley.
The Statutory Independent Inquiry said there were “serious questions about how and why institutions tasked with protecting children frequently failed to do so”.
It will examine how institutions and services responded to grooming gangs and why recommendations from previous reviews – more than 800 identified to date – were not consistently implemented.
The enquiry said there needs to be an “early investigation” because London “has the highest rate of referrals for child sexual exploitation” in the country and extensive transport links connecting the entire country.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said he was pleased to see the inquiry launched, but said it was “painfully slow”, adding: “It has taken months to come up with a list of just three places, when we know the rape gangs were active in 50 towns. The inquiry’s work needs to be urgently sped up.”
A vulnerable 13-year-old, who told the Express she was repeatedly transported by her abusers from Oxford and locked in rooms across the country, said that the “Mayor is living under a rock”.
She said: “I don’t think it’s possible for us to say that in the country’s largest city, there wouldn’t be a problem with grooming. If it can happen in a posh, wealthy city like Oxford, it’s definitely happening in London. And probably has been since the 90s.”
On a visit to a school in east London on Wednesday, Sir Sadiq welcomed the inquiry. He said: “It’s really important that we have the victims and survivors at the fore of our minds and that’s one of the reasons why marking your own homework is not good enough.”
He added: “It’s really important no stone is left unturned when it comes to ensuring the victims and survivors get justice and anybody responsible for all their heinous crimes are brought to book.”
The Metropolitan Police said it would go back 15 years to investigate cases and ensure there is “no perpetrator that should have been prosecuted but hasn’t been”.
“It’s really important to get reassurance that all things that could have been done were done, but also reassurance to victims and survivors that they will get justice.”