Casey report found ‘two-thirds of suspects offended within groups’ of ‘brothers and cousins’ as Kemi says practice undermines integration
Kemi Badenoch has ignited fresh controversy by demanding the national grooming gangs inquiry examine whether cousin marriage “contributed to the conditions” that enabled child sexual abuse.
The Conservative leader told GB News the “insidious” practice of first-cousin marriage undermined integration and promoted group loyalties over “loyalty to society” in her most explosive intervention yet.
Her bombshell comments come after Baroness Casey’s damning report revealed that two-thirds of grooming gang suspects “offended within groups” that were “based on pre-existing relationships — mainly brothers and cousins.”
‘LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED’
In an extraordinary interview with GB News, Badenoch called for the inquiry to examine every possible factor behind the scandal.
We must confront insidious practices like first cousin marriage, which undermine integration, isolate communities, and can foster environments where submission to one group overrides the law and loyalty to society,” she declared.
The Tory leader added: “That is when horrific crimes – like the grooming gangs – take root.
She insisted: “The national inquiry must leave no stone unturned, including the role of ethnicity. It should also examine whether cousin marriage contributed to the conditions that enabled the grooming, abuse and trafficking of vulnerable children.
CASEY’S DAMNING FINDINGS
Baroness Casey’s audit, published last week, exposed decades of institutional failure and revealed shocking data about grooming gang structures.
The report found that “two-thirds of suspects offended within groups” that were “based on pre-existing relationships — mainly brothers and cousins.”
Her investigation also revealed that authorities had “shied away from” examining the ethnicity of offenders, with data not recorded for two-thirds of perpetrators.
The crossbench peer found “disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds” among suspects, though she warned against drawing hasty conclusions from incomplete data.
ACADEMIC BACKS BADENOCH
Dr Patrick Nash, from the Pharos Foundation, told the Sunday Times that cousin marriage creates conditions that enable abuse to flourish.
Cousin marriage sustains close-kin networks which incentivise clan members both to dehumanise out-group victims and to suppress knowledge of criminal activity to preserve family honour,” he explained.
The academic’s research has been central to Conservative efforts to ban the practice, with a private member’s bill previously proposed.
YouGov polling last month found that 77 per cent of Brits favour banning cousin marriage, with just 9 per cent opposing such a move.
LABOUR ACCEPTS ALL RECOMMENDATIONS
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed the government will accept all 12 recommendations from Baroness Casey’s review, including launching a national inquiry.
“We have lost more than a decade. That must end now,” Cooper told MPs in an emotional Commons statement.
She added: “This will mark the biggest programme of work ever pursued to root out the grooming gangs. Those vile perpetrators who have grown used to the authorities looking the other way must have no place to hide.”
The Home Secretary apologised to victims “on behalf of this and past governments” for the “unimaginable pain and suffering” they endured.
‘TRIBAL INSTINCT’ WARNING
In an earlier GB News interview, Badenoch claimed a “tribal instinct” was making racial and religious groups “protect their own” within grooming gangs.
She said Britain had “lots of different racial and religious groups” who “will not expose wrongdoing” because “they think it’s against a tribal instinct or a tribal requirement.”
The Conservative leader specifically pointed to Mirpur, a district within the Kashmir region of Pakistan, as being more relevant than broadly referring to “Pakistanis.
Dr Nash told GB News that cousin marriage would “likely have an impact” on dealing with grooming gangs as groups actively suppress the issue to preserve family honour.
POLITICAL FIRESTORM
Badenoch’s intervention has sparked fierce debate, with critics accusing her of “politicising” the scandal after holding a press conference with victims on Tuesday.
Baroness Casey herself expressed disappointment at the Tory leader’s response, saying she wished the opposition had been “a bit more” supportive of cross-party efforts.
The New Statesman’s political editor accused Badenoch of making the grooming gangs “about herself” rather than focusing on victims.
ETHNICITY DATA FAILURES
Casey’s report highlighted catastrophic failures in recording ethnicity data, calling the half-collected information “a bloody disaster.
In one shocking example, she revealed finding a child’s file in Rotherham where “somebody had tipp-exed out the word Pakistani.
The report stated: “Despite reviews, reports and inquiries raising questions about men from Asian or Pakistani backgrounds grooming and sexually exploiting young White girls, the system has consistently failed to fully acknowledge this.
CONSERVATIVE AMENDMENTS
The Tories have tabled amendments to upcoming legislation demanding the inquiry have statutory powers to compel witnesses under oath.
Badenoch also wants to block perpetrators from using human rights legislation – such as claiming a right to family life – to avoid deportation.
The Conservative leader met with survivors from Oldham who told her they felt a “sense of betrayal” at Labour’s initial resistance to a national inquiry.
ONGOING CRISIS
Baroness Casey warned MPs on Tuesday that grooming gangs are still operating across Britain, saying “it is clear” the abuse continues.
She told the Home Affairs Committee that authorities “don’t necessarily look hard enough to find these children in particular.”
The peer suggested a three-year timeline for the national inquiry, with multiple hearings potentially running simultaneously.
SEVEN-DECADE SCANDAL
The Casey report exposed a “timeline of failure from 2009 to 2025” with repeated warnings ignored by successive governments.
Just days before the report’s release, seven men were convicted of raping teenage girls in Rochdale between 2000 and 2006 – taking 20 years to bring them to justice.
More than 800 cases previously closed with no further action have now been identified for formal review, with that figure expected to exceed 1,000.
As the national inquiry prepares to launch, Badenoch’s explosive demand to examine cousin marriage ensures this scandal will remain at the heart of political debate.
Do you think cousin marriage should be banned? Have your say in the comments below
Kemi Badenoch delivering a speech at Day Two of the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Manchester
Photo by James Whatling (CCHQ / Parsons Media), taken on 2 October 2023, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
