Home Secretary reveals 800 cases already reopened as National Crime Agency launches major operation to track down perpetrators
Yvette Cooper is set to unveil a major grooming gangs announcement today after Sir Keir Starmer’s dramatic U-turn on a national inquiry following a damning report that explicitly links the scandal to men of Pakistani origin.
The Home Secretary, who just last month rejected calls for a nationwide probe claiming “we’ve had already a seven-year statutory inquiry into child sexual abuse”, will address Parliament following the publication of Baroness Louise Casey’s explosive review.
According to The Times, Casey’s report is expected to state that white British girls were targeted and ignored by authorities due to “fears of racism” – a bombshell finding that prompted the Prime Minister to abandon his previous opposition to a national inquiry.
Starmer’s Dramatic U-Turn
In a stunning reversal, Starmer said on Saturday he would accept Casey’s recommendation for a national inquiry after reading “every single word” of her report.
She has looked at the material and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen,” Starmer told reporters during a visit to Canada. I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation.
The U-turn comes just months after Starmer dismissed calls for an inquiry as coming from politicians wanting to “jump on the bandwagon of the far right.
National Crime Agency Launches Major Operation
In a significant escalation, the Home Office announced that the National Crime Agency (NCA) – dubbed ‘Britain’s FBI’ – will carry out a nationwide operation to target predators who have sexually exploited children as part of grooming gangs.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed that more than 800 grooming gang cases have already been identified by police after she asked them to look again at cases which had closed too early.
The vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through when they were just children,” Cooper said.
“Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now.”
Report Links Scandal to Pakistani Men
Casey’s review, commissioned in January as a “rapid audit” of the scale and nature of gang-based exploitation, is understood to explicitly link the grooming gang issue to men of Pakistani origin.
The report is expected to say that victims were ignored for fear of racism – a finding that has reignited debate about how political correctness allowed the abuse to continue unchecked for years.
The scandal exposed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls across dozens of British towns and cities, with estimates suggesting tens of thousands of victims.
Cross-Party Support for Inquiry
The announcement of a national inquiry has received cross-party support, with politicians including Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp backing the move.
Supporters are calling for an 18-month inquiry established under parliamentary statute with powers to compel witnesses – crucial powers that local inquiries lack.
Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, who initially opposed another inquiry, said: “The thought of having another filled me with horror, and I was reluctant, but when I realised the overwhelming public concern, there’s a real sense justice has not been handed out fairly and there has been a cover-up.”
Local Inquiries Also Announced
As part of a £10 million action plan, Cooper announced government-backed local inquiries in five areas, with only Oldham confirmed so far. The other four locations have not been named.
These inquiries will be advised by Tom Crowther KC, who led the impactful Telford grooming gang inquiry published in 2022.
However, critics have slammed the local approach as inadequate. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The Government’s announcement of just five local rape gang Inquiries is totally inadequate. Up to 50 towns are affected. What about the rest – don’t they matter?”
Victims to Get More Power
Under the new measures, survivors and victims will be able to ask for their closed cases to be reviewed by an independent criminal justice review panel where previous investigations were not taken forward to prosecution.
The child sexual abuse review panel will now look at cases after June 2013, extending from its previous remit of only examining cases before that date.
Musk’s Influence
The scandal returned to the political agenda this year after U.S. billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government’s handling of the issue.
On Saturday, Musk responded to news of the inquiry on X, saying he was “glad to hear this is happening” after being thanked for drawing attention to the matter.
Scale of the Crisis
According to the Home Office, of the 115,000 child sexual exploitation and abuse offences recorded in 2023 by police, over 4,000 were group-based offending.
Of those, around 1,100 involved abuse within the family, over 300 involved abuse in institutions, and over 700 were group-based grooming gang offences.
However, officials acknowledge that the vast majority of child sexual exploitation and abuse goes unidentified and unreported, meaning these figures are likely a significant underestimate.
Chancellor Defends PM’s U-Turn
Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended Starmer’s change of position, telling the BBC that the Prime Minister had always been “focused on the victims” rather than “grandstanding.
However, critics have questioned why it took pressure from Musk and a damning report to force action on an issue that has been known about for over a decade.
As Cooper prepares to address Parliament today, survivors and campaigners will be watching closely to see whether this latest announcement finally delivers the justice and accountability they have been demanding for years.
