The inquiry was recently rejected by Jess Phillips, Labour's safeguarding minister, who claimed that it's not Parliament's job to investigate the matter. The Tories felt differently about the decision and eviscerated the Labour Party for its refusal to investigate, which captured the attention of author JK Rowling and tech mogul Elon Musk, who called for Phillips to be imprisoned.
The Oldham Council had asked Parliament to launch an independent investigation into years of child sexual abuse allegedly carried out by "grooming gangs," or rape gangs in Oldham. The grooming gangs predominately consist of Pakistani Muslim men who allegedly sexually abuse female children and force them into prostitution. Journalist Julie Bindel released an investigative report on the grooming gangs in 2006, but authorities did not want to investigate the allegations out of fear they would be labeled "racist," according to Bindel.
A 2022 report revealed that Oldham's child protection services had failed to protect children from reported grooming gangs by "predominately Pakistani offenders." Oldham Council asked Phillips twice last year to back an independent investigation, the Telegraph reported. Officials in positions of power across several agencies reportedly had knowledge of these alleged child sex trafficking rings, and have been accused of covering up the crimes, according to the investigation.
Rupert Lowe, a Reform MP, slammed Phillips' refusal to investigate in a post on X and ordered the Home Office to take immediate measures to address the allegations of the Pakistani offenders. This included determining the citizenship status of the alleged offenders, investigating officials who may have covered up sexual abuse of minors, determining how many children have been abused, and sentencing the offenders to life in prison.
The harsh fate of thousands of girls, who were barely teenagers, had been concealed for two decades. Police forces, councils, charities, and politicians allegedly chose to turn a blind eye to the rape of young females rather than risk being accused of racism. The Telegraph reported some of the individuals involved in the "cover-up" have risen to high positions of power, such as Shaun Davies, who currently serves as a Labour MP on the Home Affairs Select Committee. In 2016, Davies signed a letter opposing a further inquiry into the child rape gang groups while leader of Telford Council.
The scandal was widely perceived by the Left as a right-wing conspiracy theory as recently as last year. However, due to the victims speaking out, advocacy groups campaigning on their behalf, and journalists staying on top of the matter, the truth has been brought to light.
Correction: This headline has been revised to reflect that the men were primarily Pakistani.
