The Labour government is continuing to let down the mainly young, white female victims of the rape gang scandal.
We now know that for decades, young children, mostly girls, some only 10 years old, were groomed and gang raped by men of predominantly Pakistani origin.
Like Jane, who was just 12 years old when she was raped by an illegal immigrant, but when she was found by police, instead of arresting the rapist, the police arrested Jane.
Or like Anna, only 15 years old, who repeatedly told social workers that she had been gang raped, but instead of helping her, they allowed her to marry her main abuser in an Islamic ceremony, and the social worker even attended the ceremony.
These stories are absolutely shocking and disgraceful, and yet thousands of girls across the country have a similar story.
These sickening crimes were deliberately covered up by those in authority because the perpetrators were mainly of Pakistani heritage.
Local councils and police cared more about appeasing local Muslim communities than about protecting young girls. Former Labour MP Simon Danczuk was warned by the then chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party that he should stop asking questions to avoid upsetting Muslim voters.
Even this week, it has emerged that the Labour leader of a local council has branded the victims as “white trash.” If Keir Starmer had any decency, he would kick this man out of the Labour Party immediately.
My office has been in contact with rape gang survivors. Labour's inquiry is turning out to be a sham - Chris Philp
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The Labour Government had to be dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way towards a proper inquiry. When the Labour Government’s rejection of Oldham’s call for a national inquiry became public in January, the Prime Minister disgracefully smeared as “far-right” those supporting calls for a proper inquiry. That kind of language is how these crimes got covered up in the first place.
In June, faced with a parliamentary vote two days later, the Labour Government finally announced a statutory national inquiry – not because they chose to or wanted to, but because they were forced to. What the Prime Minister claimed was a “far-right bandwagon” in January had become Government policy by June. Yet here we are, three months later, and almost no progress has been made.
My office has been in contact with survivors in Oldham – the survivors told them that they have not heard anything about the local inquiry that was announced nine months ago.
We now discover that the national inquiry still does not have a chair, and there are no terms of reference. I had to demand that the Minister come to Parliament this week to explain what progress had been made, but again, very few answers were provided.
This is not just delaying progress from being made regarding the national inquiry into rape gangs, but also progress for the local inquiry in Oldham.
This is not good enough. Survivors have been waiting too long for answers. We cannot wait any longer – a chair must be appointed, and the Oldham inquiry must begin.
The Labour Government must also start forcing Pakistan to take back the perpetrators of the rape gangs who are eligible for deportation.
The Government should stop issuing visas to Pakistan, and they should suspend all foreign aid until these disgusting rapists are deported – the Labour Government must grow a backbone.
It is shameful that almost no progress has been made since the start of the year. We owe it to the victims and survivors to act quickly – there cannot be any more delays by this foot-dragging Labour government.