Between 1997 and 2013, towns and cities – including Oldham and Rotherham – were blighted by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani descent, who raped and trafficked children as young as 11.
An independent report, published by Prof Alexis Jay in 2014, estimated 1,400 girls had been abused in Rotherham. She would later go on to lead a national review into child sexual abuse, which lasted seven years and made 20 recommendations when it was published in 2022.
The Conservatives have argued that the report did not sufficiently examine grooming gangs and called for new national inquiry.
In recent days three Labour MPs also publicly expressed support for a national inquiry – Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh.
Other senior Labour figures, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, also joined the calls, saying they would support a limited new inquiry.
The issue has been thrust into the spotlight by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has criticised the prime minister for not calling a national inquiry.
Musk responded to Cooper’s announcement by saying on his X platform: “I hope this is a proper investigation.”
Prof Jay rejected calls for a new national inquiry last week, saying victims want to see action on her recommendations and a new inquiry would cause delays.
The prime minister and Labour ministers have said their priority was to implement the Jay recommendations, and Cooper announced that one of the key points – mandatory reporting – would be added to the Crime and Policing Bill.
