1 week Ago By Conor Wilson
A senior Conservative MP has lamented the Labour government’s handling of inquiries into sexual exploitation. Robbie Moore , MP for Keighley & Ilkley , has long called for a local inquiry into the exploitation of young girls at the hands of so-called grooming gangs in Bradford. The Shadow Farming Minister has long pressed for an investigation into the issue which he believes would uncover abuse that dwarfs that of other regions.
Earlier this year, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips' rejection of the need for a national inquiry into the scandal reignited the debate on how abuse at the hands of gangs should be dealt with. A subsequent allocation of £5 million to hold five local inquiries has been criticised by Mr Moore, who says it has since been "watered down." He told GB News : "There has been no framework worked up.
There was no mention today whatsoever of five local inquiries. "The £5 million being referenced is also being watered down to spend to be allowed to spend on other things beyond the additional four local inquiries.” So far, only Oldham has been confirmed as one of the areas that will hold a local inquiry.
Conservative frontbencher Katie Lam also highlighted concerns that action was not been taken swiftly enough. She said in the House of Commons that MPs know very little about the progress being made whilst also highlighting concerns about the religious and racial aspects of the crimes. The Tory frontbencher wants "dedicated unit" to be established in the National Crime Agency to investigate allegations of collusion.
Mr Morre also added: "The Government needs to get a grip on this issue to force an inquiry." The Home Office said in response: "That is patently false. The £5m funding announced in January is being made available to local authorities to help strengthen local responses to child sexual exploitation, and all local authorities will be able to apply for funding for local inquiries or other work in this area.
"The Home Secretary has written to every local authority on our plans to support local inquiries, and after listening to local authorities about what they need, we made the decision to implement the fund in a flexible way." Earlier this year Moore blasted local authorities for their decision not to hold a local inquiry into abuse by young girls at the hands of men who were predominately of Pakistani ethnicity. Moore told Express.
co.uk: “I have been calling for this for years, but at every juncture, people such as Tracy Brabin , the Mayor of West Yorkshire, will not entertain an inquiry, claiming ‘this is a local issue, not a national one. “They say that they ‘will learn nothing new’ and that it is too expensive, but I do not accept this; what is the cost of justice?” The mayor hit back at the claims, pointing out that in West Yorkshire, the creation of a specialist police unit has seen 165 perpetrators imprisoned for over 1850 years since 2016.
She said “We will always stand with victims of this abhorrent crime to end the abuse and bring perpetrators to justice. Victims tell us they want action now and support for their recovery, which is what we are delivering. "We will never ignore the systemic failings of the past and there has been a huge amount of work in West Yorkshire to bring about the change survivors want to see, including those recommended by local and national independent reviews and reports.
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