The Labour MP for Rotherham has called for a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal, adding more pressure on Sir Keir Starmer.

Sarah Champion said child sexual abuse was “endemic” in Britain and “needs to be recognised as a national priority”.

She is the latest Labour politician to call for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) after Dan Carden, the Labour MP for Liverpool Walton, became the first Labour MP to back calls for a national inquiry at the weekend.

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has also said he would not “stand against” a further review while Paul Waugh, the Labour MP for Rochdale, backed a further inquiry on the condition it had the support of victims and survivors.

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Ms Champion, who resigned from Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow frontbench in 2017 after she said Britain had a “problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls”, issued a five-point plan for tackling CSE on X – the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, who has increasingly taken an interest in the issue.

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Her intervention will add more pressure on the prime minister, who has so far resisted the Conservatives’ calls for a national inquiry into “rape gangs”, arguing that it would delay implementing measures that would help victims.

Sir Keir, the former director of public prosecutions for England and Wales, pointed to the fact that there had already been the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse by Professor Alexis Jay – but critics have argued that it was not comprehensive enough.

During Prime Minister’s Questions last week, Sir Keir said a new inquiry would delay implementing Prof Jay’s recommendations “until 2031”.

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He accused the Conservatives of failing to implement any of the 2022 recommendations, adding: “They’ve been tweeting and talking. We’ve been acting.”

Last week the government announced it would implement one of Prof Jay’s recommendations by making it mandatory for professionals who work with children to report claims of sexual abuse – or face criminal sanctions.

MPs also last week voted against a Tory bid to launch a new national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal by 364 to 111, a majority of 253.

However, even if the Commons had supported the measure, it wouldn’t have actually forced the government to open the desired inquiry due to parliamentary procedure.

Instead, it would have killed the government’s legislation, the aim of which is to reform things such as the children’s care system and raise educational standards in schools.

Ms Champion, who previously indicated she would not support a further inquiry, proposed a national “Telford-style” inquiry that was “nationally resourced” and “victim-centred”.

Keir Starmer during a visit to Elective Orthopaedic Centre in Epsom, Surrey. Pic: PA
Image:
Starmer said a new inquiry would delay implementing recommendations. Pic: PA

She said local inquiries did not have the power to compel witnesses and would fail to satisfy the public’s concern of cover-ups.

Telford was one of a number of towns and cities where young girls were targeted and abused by men largely of Pakistani heritage more than a decade ago. Other areas that were affected include Oldham, Rochdale, Newcastle and Bristol.

Ms Champion, who has campaigned on the issue of CSE for years, wrote on X: “Child sexual abuse is endemic in the UK and needs to be recognised as a national priority,” she said.

“It is clear that the public distrusts governments and authorities when it comes to preventing and prosecuting child abuse, especially child sexual exploitation.”

She added: “Having worked widely with victims and survivors, and frontline 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.”

In her list of recommendations, Ms Champion also included a “national audit” to see if grooming gangs were still operating or cases had been missed.

Read more:
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Grooming gangs scandal timeline: What happened?

She also said there needed to be greater work to understand the motivations of grooming gang members.

Instead, she said triggers for such inquiries in local areas could be local councils or police referring themselves or an independent panel raising concerns.

Victim or survivor reports could also trigger an inquiry under the model, Ms Champion said.

Asked whether Ms Champion’s views on the matter carry some weight given her experience, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Absolutely. There will be a range of views.

“We’ve heard opposing views to that from others, including victims and survivors’ groups as well. So we will be guided and led by the victims and survivors on this.”