'It all stinks!' Maggie Oliver tears into Sadiq Khan over fresh grooming gangs row

The investigation, conducted by The Daily Express and MyLondon, revealed young girls had been raped in London hotels by groups of men.

The Mayor of London was accused of ignoring concerns about grooming gangs operating in the capital following a spat with City Hall Conservative Susan Hall earlier this year.

He told the London Assembly: "We know in London there are issues about exploitation of young people, but they are not as defined by the member in her definition of what those types of gangs are."

Delivering her verdict on the investigation, Ms Oliver told GB News: "I think what it's very important to say is that this reflects exactly what I've experienced in relation to Rochdale and Rotherham and Telford, that there is a repeated denial of this kind of crime until it absolutely hits them in the face and they can no longer escape from the truth of what's going on.

"I was asked to look at some of the cases that they had uncovered, and these are only ones that are in the public arena. If you try and get information out of these public bodies about abuse, about grooming, about even a child who died, they close ranks and they won't share those documents, even under requests."

She added: "And if you get them, they are redacted to such an extent that they are very difficult to understand unless you are on the inside.

"I was on the inside with Operation Augusta and Rochdale, I didn't need their evidence to prove what was going on with London."

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Criticising Sir Sadiq for "stonewalling" Susan Hall in the London Assembly, Ms Oliver fumed: "These reports were in the public arena, and yet, even having read those, as the Police and Crime Commissioner, Sadiq Khan still would not answer any questions posed by Susan Hall. He stonewalled her.

"Grooming gangs do operate in and out of London, and I've seen it before, but the Met are probably one of the last bastions that are able to pretend this doesn't go on there.

"So Sadiq Khan, as the Police and Crime Commissioner, clearly has read these reports, and he will be aware of many others. So I see public officials lying, covering up, concealing the truth until there is nowhere else to hide."

Declaring that the alleged cover up "stinks", Ms Oliver told GB News: "Donald Trump called out Sadiq Khan, didn't he, when he came to the UK. Keir Starmer jumped in very quickly to say that he was his friend, and Keir Starmer was the one who in January was saying that people like me and survivors like Fiona, we are far-right extremists.

"I find the fact that he's describing Sadiq Khan as one of his best friends to Donald Trump, it's quite interesting when I see what's going on with the national inquiry, what's been going on in the Met, Sadiq Khan's complete lack of willingness to answer a very legitimate question from Susan Hall. It all, if you pardon my language, it all stinks, and it's something I've seen for 15 years. It's nothing new to me."

She concluded: "But bit by bit, the house of cards is falling down, because the public know what's going on. And Charlie Peters and GB News have been a great part of unpicking that corruption, it is corrupt, and the losers are the victims and the survivors.

"The reason I speak out is because I don't want another generation of children to be failed. That's why all survivors fight for change, for the future. This lot are more intent on covering up and protecting their own reputations than they are in seeing systemic change, which we urgently need."

A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: "The Mayor has always been clear that the safety of Londoners is his top priority and nowhere is this truer than in safeguarding children. Sadiq is committed to doing all he can to protect children in London from organised criminal and sexual exploitation and bring perpetrators to justice.

"This includes his £15.6million Violence and Exploitation Support Service, which provides specialist support to young Londoners who are vulnerable, caught up in or being exploited by criminal gangs in the capital as well as supporting the Met to deliver a new child-first approach to safeguarding and enforcement action to tackle county lines.

"We remain vigilant to emerging and changing threats and will continue to do everything we can to protect children in the capital from abuse, violence and exploitation in all its forms."