Kemi Badenoch unveils 'alternative rape gangs inquiry' with focus on groomers' religion and ethnicity

Mrs Badenoch presented the proposals on Monday, developed alongside abuse survivors, setting out a timeline to assure victims that the inquiry will not "drag on".

At the conference, the Tory leader urged the Government to establish a national statutory inquiry examining both state institutional failures and any ethnic, religious and cultural links to the crimes.

Mrs Badenoch further vowed that a national grooming gangs inquiry must leave "no stones unturned".

Speaking at a venue in the heart of Westminster, the Conservative leader said: "We want to work cross-party with anyone who wants to see an inquiry done.

"We want to help the Government to deliver this. But the inquiry and its terms of reference should not be written behind closed doors.

"They should be written by survivors who know what happened and who know what needs to be looked at.

"That is why today, we are presenting a terms of reference that is based on what the survivors have told us about what is must have and which also importantly follows Baroness Casey's recommendations.

"I want to be clear that a national inquiry must leave no stones unturned. It must investigate councils, the police and even the Government if necessary.

"It must be time-limited and it must consider the role of ethnicity, religion and other cultural factors."

Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp announced that his team would impose a two-year time limit on the inquiry to instil "confidence" in survivors.

Speaking at a press conference alongside his leader, he said: "The terms of reference we have set out I think are very clear.

"It sets a two-year time limit on this inquiry it can't drag on for years and years, we are clear this should be led by a judge so it is impartial and so that survivors can have confidence.

"It should specifically investigate the deliberate cover-up of these crimes, perpetrated by police and councils [who] deliberately covered these things up.

"It should look at the ethnicity and the cultural background of the perpetrators. It should also make sure it has the powers to compel witnesses to attend and force the production of documents."

"The time for covering this up is over, we need the truth and those who covered these crimes up need to be held accountable," he added.

Labour's inquiry has been plagued by controversy since its announcement six months ago.

The Government has still not published its terms of reference or named a chairman for the investigation.

Sir Keir Starmer only agreed to hold a national inquiry earlier this year after a major U-turn.

The PM had in January described those wanting a probe as "jumping on the bandwagon of the far-right" after renewed outrage at the rape gangs following GB News' coverage.

The probe suffered a significant setback in October when two victims resigned from a liaison panel, claiming officials were attempting to silence them.

One said the Government wanted to downplay the ethnic and religious backgrounds of perpetrators.

Labour has faced accusations of deliberately stalling the process to avoid damaging revelations before the next General Election.

Critics are now demanding the Prime Minister abandon the current investigation and launch a fresh judge-led inquiry instead.

The Tory draft proposes examining whether grooming gang members displayed "particular religious, ethnic, or national characteristics, including family or clan networks".

If such evidence emerges, the inquiry would investigate whether state bodies failed to act due to concerns about the religious, ethnic or national backgrounds of suspects or victims.

The Conservative proposals would also see the inquiry made fully independent from Government.

It would have powers to compel evidence, summon witnesses and establish findings of fact in both historical and current cases across England and Wales.

Previously, a report by Baroness Casey found Asian men were disproportionately involved in the scandal.

Police forces failed to investigate cases for fear of appearing racist, the report concluded.

Fiona Goddard, who resigned from the liaison panel in October, has endorsed the Conservative proposals and spoke alongside Mrs Badenoch and Mr Philp at the conference today.

She said: "I have lost faith in the ability of the Government to make meaningful progress.

"I have more confidence that the terms of reference released today by the Conservatives reflect the real thoughts and feelings of survivors."

Mr Philp argued that any inquiry which failed to look into ethnicity would not uncover the truth.

He said that groups of men - predominantly of Pakistani origin - targeted vulnerable girls across multiple towns.

He added that investigators must examine whether police and councils avoided action because identifying ethnic dynamics was considered too politically risky.

A Labour spokesman, meanwhile, accused the Tories of failing to take action against the rape gangs in the party's 14 years in power.

"Their record on this issue is clear: they had years to take action on this appalling scandal, yet time and time again they failed to do so," he said.

"This Labour Government accepted all the recommendations from Baroness Casey's report and we are committed to a full, statutory, national inquiry to uncover the truth.

"It will be robust, rigorous and laser focused on grooming gangs, and its scope will not change.

"The inquiry will direct and oversee local investigations, with the power to compel witnesses and summon evidence. And it will explicitly examine the background, ethnicity and culture of offenders."