29 m. ago Grooming gang victims hope to finally get answers as bombshell report unearths failings

Yvette Cooper offered an 'unequivocal apology' to young girls who were preyed on by grooming gangs as she warned paedophiles have 'nowhere to hide' amid a fresh wave of investigations

Events

41 m. ago Out of area taxi loophole will be 'closed' to help tackle grooming gangs

Andy Burnham has repeated raised concerns about it

Events

86 m. ago Greater Manchester Police has investigated 35 sex grooming gangs in the last 3 years and more than half the suspects are Asian men, says new report

Defensive attitudes by officials has 'added to the misery', Baroness Casey has said

Events

88 m. ago Grooming gangs report: 9 things you need to know from major failings to taxi loophole

In a chilling report, Baroness Louise Casey outlined an array of failings from victim blaming, ethnicity data and the lack of mandatory rape charges for vile paedophiles

Events

94 m. ago Everything we know about the new grooming gangs inquiry so far

The Home Secretary set out a series of measures today

Events

95 m. ago The Guardian view on violence against women and girls: the grooming gangs inquiry should be part of a wider strategy | Editorial

It is right to confront child sexual exploitation, but this week’s announcement comes against a backdrop of failureThe government’s renewed focus on child sexual exploitation (CSE) gangs is overdue, and the new national inquiry recommended by Louise Casey must deliver justice, not just headlines. All child sexual abuse is horrifying. But the extreme sexual violence and financial incentives involved in gang-based offending demand special scrutiny. So do the institutional failures by police and councils, particularly in northern England, where numerous gangs operated.Past inquiries have exposed these institutional breakdowns. They have also shown that a reluctance to inflame racial tensions played a role in the way that some complaints were mishandled. That doesn’t excuse the inaction – nor justify turning a public safety issue into a culture war. Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago Victims at front of my mind while carrying out grooming gangs review: Casey

Victims told her they are unable to live the lives they wanted and continued to see their abusers walk free.

Events

1 hour ago The victims of grooming gangs deserve justice – at long last, they may get it

Editorial: The government’s decision to launch a full statutory inquiry into historic grooming cases is long overdue. Thousands of girls were failed not only by their abusers but by the very institutions and individuals meant to protect them. At last, a national reckoning is underway

Events

2 h. ago Greater Manchester Police issues statement after 'damning' grooming gangs report

'We still have a way to go'

Events

3 h. ago Cooper says law on rape being tightened so adults cannot use consent as defence against charge of raping child under 16 – UK politics live

Yvette Cooper tells parliament that Louise Casey audit found some cases were downgraded from rape to lesser charges ‘because 13- to 15-year-old is perceived to have consented’Starmer launches new grooming gangs investigationIn his interview on the Sky News this morning Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said that Keir Starmer should apologise for saying in January that those calling for a national inquiry into grooming gangs were jumping on a far-right bandwagon. Kemi Badenoch, his party leader, is also quoted today in an Daily Express splash story saying Starmer should apologise, but she is saying he should apologise for not agreeing to hold a national inquiry earlier.At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the No 10 spokesperson was asked if Starmer still thought that people who backed a national inquiry in January were joining a far-right bandwagon. In response, the spokesperson defended the phrase, and insisted that it only applied to Tories who were now demanding...

Society

3 h. ago Children and teenage girls were blamed for crimes against them, ‘damning’ grooming gangs report finds

A ‘deeply disturbing’ report found organisations avoided race for fear of appearing racist or inflaming community tensions, Yvette Cooper said

Events

3 h. ago Police to collect ethnicity data for all cases of child sexual abuse

Requirement made as review finds ‘over-representation’ of Asian men among grooming gang suspectsYvette Cooper has condemned damning failures by the authorities to protect children from grooming gangs as she announced there would be a formal requirement on police for the first time to collect ethnicity and nationality data for all cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation.The home secretary confirmed the government would accept all 12 recommendations of Louise Casey’s rapid review, including setting up a statutory inquiry into institutional failures, marking a significant reversal after months of pressure on Labour to act. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago UK home secretary apologises over child grooming gang scandal

Yvette Cooper accepts all 12 recommendations from Casey inquiry, including need to collect data on ethnicity

Society

3 h. ago What is the new grooming gangs inquiry going to do after the Casey report?

A full statutory inquiry into UK grooming gangs will soon begin work

Events

3 h. ago Report criticises ‘major failing’ to gather ethnicity data on grooming gangs

Baroness Louise Casey said questions about ethnicity had been ‘dodged for years’.

Events

3 h. ago Home secretary outlines key changes after 'disturbing' report into grooming gangs

Yvette Cooper set out a series of reforms in response to Baroness Casey's report

Society

3 h. ago Grooming gangs: Children in London being sexually and criminally exploited, damning Casey review reveals

Baroness Casey found ‘deep-rooted failures’ to protect children from rape, exploitation, and violence, with continued fragmentation in the authorities' response

Events

4 h. ago Grooming gangs scandal: Damning key findings from the Casey review

The Government has now ordered a new national inquiry into grooming gangs after the shocking findings

Events

4 h. ago Authorities were in denial over Asian grooming gangs for fear of appearing racist, damning report finds as Yvette Coper apologises to victims... and FINALLY orders national inquiry

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that those who had suffered 'despicable crimes' had been 'let down' by the authorities.

Events

4 h. ago Audit found ‘clear evidence of representation’ of Asian and Pakistani men in grooming gang cases in local data, MPs told – UK politics live

Yvette Cooper tells parliament that Louise Casey audit found ‘organisations avoided topic for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions’Starmer launches new grooming gangs investigationIn his interview on the Sky News this morning Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said that Keir Starmer should apologise for saying in January that those calling for a national inquiry into grooming gangs were jumping on a far-right bandwagon. Kemi Badenoch, his party leader, is also quoted today in an Daily Express splash story saying Starmer should apologise, but she is saying he should apologise for not agreeing to hold a national inquiry earlier.At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the No 10 spokesperson was asked if Starmer still thought that people who backed a national inquiry in January were joining a far-right bandwagon. In response, the spokesperson defended the phrase, and insisted that it only applied to Tories who were now demanding an inquiry they never set...

Politics