Rotherham MP Sarah Champion backs national grooming inquiry

The Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, has backed a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

Champion said that “nothing less than a full inquiry…will restore faith in our safeguarding systems”.

Her call comes after tech tycoon Elon Musk’s comments on social media targetting the PM personally and calling for a new inquiry – calls which were echoed by the Conservatives and Reform UK.

Downing Street said Champion’s opinion “absolutely” carried weight given her extensive experience of the issue, but added that taking action on recommendations from a previous inquiry took priority.

Number 10 said “there will be a range of views” on the issue of a new inquiry, adding that the government would be “guided and led by the victims and survivors”.

Two other Labour figures from places affected – Rochdale MP Paul Waugh and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham – have called for limited inquiries.

Champion, who has been campaigning on child protection for over a decade, said child sexual abuse is “endemic” in the UK and must be “a national priority”.

She said: “Having worked widely with victims and survivors, and front-line professionals, I have long believed that we need to fully understand the nature of this crime and the failures in the response of public bodies if we are to truly protect children.

“It is clear that nothing less than a national inquiry into the failings of those in authority to both prevent, and be accountable for their failings, in relation to grooming gangs will restore the faith in our safeguarding systems.”

Rotherham in South Yorkshire was one of several areas blighted by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani descent, who raped and trafficked children as young as 11 between 1997 and 2013.

An independent report, published by Prof Alexis Jay in 2014, estimated 1,400 girls had been abused in Rotherham.

Prof Jay went on to lead the separate Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), a probe which lasted seven years and made 20 recommendations.

She has rejected calls for a new national inquiry, saying victims want to see action on her recommendations and a new inquiry would cause delays.

Labour ministers have said their priority is to implement the recommendations, and last week, Yvette Cooper said one of the key points – mandatory reporting – would be added to the Crime and Policing Bill.

Champion has called for the recommendations to be implemented “in full, with a timetable and ring-fenced resources”, alongside a national audit of grooming gags, research into the motivations of gang members and a review of whether current laws are adequate.

A series of local reviews into child sex abuse in Manchester, Rochdale and Oldham were also published between 2020 and 2024, and found authorities had failed to protect children from sexual exploitation by gangs of predominantly Asian men.

Burnham, who commissioned those local reviews, said a “limited” national inquiry could build on the local reviews but also compel people to give evidence so “those who may have charges to answer are held to account”.

Last week, Labour MPs voted down an amendment from the Conservatives which contained a call for a national inquiry, because it would have killed off the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, a major piece of government legislation.