"Far too little action has been taken, and shamefully little progress has been made," the Home Secretary said, speaking on multiple inquiries into grooming gangs that had previously been rejected by Labour Party officials.
The "no holds barred" review will consist of five further local inquiries, and will aim to establish a "new framework" for such probes. Cooper said the audit will be backed by an additional £5 million of funding. The review will also look at "cultural and societal drivers" of the offenses.
Parliament's move to investigate follows rising criticism after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips rejected Oldham Council's inquiry into grooming gangs, which are primarily made up of Pakistani Muslim men who sexually exploit and abuse minors. The scandal garnered worldwide criticism, including from X owner Elon Musk. Additionally, three Labour MPs broke ranks and demanded the party rethink its decision, the Independent reported.
While conservative MPs and critics called for a full government-led investigation, the Home Secretary stopped just short of the request.
Cooper also declared her intention to have police forces reopen "cold cases" that pertain to the sexual exploitation and abuse of young females. Police chiefs have been directed to evaluate any investigations into grooming gangs that were terminated, and victims will be granted new authority to request an independent review of the decisions made to cease investigating alleged crimes.
Additionally, she informed MPs that police forces will develop "problem profiles" of the grooming organizations in their respective regions and that Baroness Casey's assessment would "accurately analyze the demographics of the gangs and their victims, as well as the ethnicity data."
The Home Secretary further stated that the government will specify the manner in which it will implement all 20 recommendations from Professor Alexis Jay's independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, which was completed in 2022.
