I knew Sadiq Khan liked to drag his feet on doing any real work, but I thought that a topic as important and severe as investigating grooming gangs in London would be enough to get him on his feet and working for London. I’m afraid I was wrong.
Almost a year ago, I pressed Khan on whether or not there were grooming gangs that operated in London. In a now-famous exchange, first broadcast on GB News, the Mayor shamefully tried to ignore the question whilst trying to goad me into saying anything that he could misconstrue as racist.
I wasn’t going to let up then, and I haven’t let up since. In the months intervening, I have questioned everyone - senior Met officials, the Mayor, and City Hall bureaucrats - about the existence of grooming gangs in the capital.
Whilst Khan has buried his head in the sand, I have sought to shine a light on this heinous offence and get justice for the vulnerable young girls who are helplessly preyed upon in our city.
City Hall Conservatives found the money in Khan’s last budget to fund a £4.5million grooming gang inquiry in London - an inquiry that Labour, the Greens and Lib Dems rejected at a vote.
That inquiry could have already been underway, exploring child sexual exploitation in a city where we know there have been historic failures, such as in Lambeth and Tower Hamlets. Instead, it hasn’t.
I’ve had to continue pushing Khan and his officials to try and get any information, whilst talking to victims and survivors to piece together what is going on.
Meanwhile, others have also bravely been doing the work to expose this horror, such as GB News’ own phenomenal Charlie Peters, who I know has tirelessly strived to expose the cover-up of this evil.
Today, I can reveal why you know nothing about the grooming gangs in Sadiq Khan's London - Susan HallIt is the work that Charlie and others do that encourages me to keep faith that we will get justice for those who have been silenced for too long.
When those in power fail to do the right thing, it is our free press that holds them to account on these failings, and I am sure that Charlie and others will be responsible for many more shocking revelations until the day that justice arrives.
It is this need to hold authorities to account that has spurred me to produce my report, out this week, trying to shine a light on grooming gangs in the capital.
I have examined historic abuses in London and concluded that if a grooming gang was operating in a number of London boroughs, it almost certainly would not have been found or uncovered.
But I am not the Mayor, or the Met Police, or the Government. There’s only so much I can do as one person to expose this evil.
We need authorities, those in power, to act if we are to get justice for the survivors. Every day we do not act is another day where this horror continues.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Any individuals, groups or grooming gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent and the Mayor wants justice for every single victim of these horrific crimes. These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm.
“Since taking office, the Mayor has led efforts to strengthen the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms in London, including grooming gangs. We have delivered vital investment in specialist services to support child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation and driven forward long-overdue reforms in the way the Met protects children. This includes specifically commissioning HMICFRS to independently inspect the Met’s child protection arrangements in 2023, which has led to lasting improvements.
“The Mayor has asked the Met to leave no stone unturned to secure justice for the victims of these horrific crimes. As the Met carries out its vital work to re-examine cases over the past 15 years, the Mayor has announced new £2.4m package of support for victims and survivors to ensure they have the care, attention and specialist support services they deserve. Sadiq is clear that the Met must follow the evidence wherever it leads and he will continue to ensure it does everything possible to tackle all child sexual exploitation in the capital, including grooming gangs, to build a safer London for everyone.”
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