HOME SECRETARY Yvette Cooper has denied claims that Labour has abandoned plans for five local inquiries into grooming gangs, calling such allegations "huge misinformation" and "completely wrong".
Cooper recently addressed accusations that the government had dropped the inquiries for fear of offending Pakistani voters, saying: "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."
The row erupted after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips made a statement in the Commons that was interpreted by opposition parties as rowing back on the government's January promise to hold five local inquiries into historical cases of child sexual exploitation.
Phillips had told MPs that local authorities would be able to access a £5 million fund, with "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 home secretary confirmed that the amount promised for the five inquiries will still go ahead as planned, adding "there may even be more" inquiries. She revealed that a framework for the local inquiries is currently being drawn up, with Oldham already confirmed as one location.
"There's been sadly a lot of, I think, party political misinformation about this," Cooper said. "What we should be doing is all working together to support victims and survivors of these really vile crimes."
She stressed that the government is strengthening the law on child sexual abusers and increasing police investigations, which she described as "the most important thing of all because frankly these perpetrators should be behind bars."
The controversy intensified when Sir Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, criticised the government, claiming its approach was "utterly shameful" and "so obviously political".
He suggested the government was avoiding action "because of the demographic of the people involved, largely Pakistani Muslim in background, and also in Labour held seats and councils who would be offended by it."
Cooper firmly rejected these comments as "total nonsense" during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Conservative politicians have seized on the issue, with party leader Kemi Badenoch claimed that Labour had dropped the plans for local inquiries into what she called "the rape gang scandal". She later said, "If he [Starmer] did not have a full national inquiry, people will start to think that there is a cover-up."
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith went further, posting on social media: "If true that Labour have shelved even the most limited public enquiries into grooming gangs, it does suggest that powerful Labour politicians have something to hide."
Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he expects a judicial review to be launched next week challenging the government's decision not to hold another national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.
Cooper maintained that police investigations are crucial to achieving justice: "If you want to get justice for survivors and for victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse, we need the police investigations, and we need to get perpetrators behind bars."
Labour MPs have reportedly been briefed by Phillips to address growing concerns, with some warning that the right is "weaponising" the issue and creating an "untenable" situation for the government.
Apsana Begum
