Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of "turning a blind eye" to rape gangs in London after a new investigation found evidence of a "cover-up" in the capital.
The investigation, conducted by The Daily Express and My London, revealed young girls had been raped in hotels by groups of men.
However, Sir Sadiq has consistently denied that grooming gangs had been operating in London.
The details of at least six potential victims were documented in the pages of four different His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services reports from 2016 to 2025.
The cases ranged from a 15-year-old girl being raped by "numerous men" after going missing for four days to a 17-year-old being given alcohol before being raped by several men.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told The Express: "It is clear Sadiq Khan is facilitating a cover-up.”
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson added: “There is real, credible evidence that grooming gangs exist in London, and for the Mayor to have potentially turned a blind eye is utterly shameful".
The Metropolitan Police recently reversed its once-longstanding stance that it had “not seen” grooming gang cases in London.
Speaking to Assembly Members in City Hall, Sir Mark Rowley said that Scotland Yard had a “steady flow” of live multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations and a “very significant” number of cases that would need to be reinvestigated as a result of the Home Office’s grooming gangs review.
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.”
FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…
Keir Starmer considered 'more robotic than human' by British voters, bombshell poll reveals
Sir Keir Starmer has been deemed more robotic than human | GETTYSir Keir Starmer has been branded more “robotic” than human in a bombshell poll examining how Britons view leading politicians and the way they communicate.
Polling by More in Common and Grayling found that 60 per cent of respondents viewed the Prime Minister as "robotic", compared with just 17 per cent who saw him as "human".
In Yorkshire, a key battleground ahead of the next General Election, that figure rose sharply, with 70 per cent describing Sir Keir as having robotic tendencies in his communication style.
By contrast, the survey of 2,000 adults showed Nigel Farage is perceived as more human, with 41 per cent holding that view of the Reform UK leader.
Shabana Mahmood vows to ramp up migrant returns despite returning just 42 under deal
Shabana Mahmood has pledged to step up the number of migrants being returned to France, despite just 42 returning so far under the "one-in-one-out" scheme.
The Home Secretary said she will do "whatever it takes" to secure Britain's borders after a record 16 migrants were returned to France last week.
More flights are expected to take place within the coming days.
Ms Mahmood said: "For many years, illegal migrants entered our country with no consequence.
"This is the largest return flight under our historic deal with the French.
"And it sends a warning to those considering entering this country illegally: if you come here by small boat, you can be sent back.
"This is just the beginning – I will scale up these removals to France.
"And I will do whatever it takes to secure our borders."
'Let's see what happens!' Ed Miliband accepts challenge from Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson sets tongues wagging with ‘offer to stand as MP and oust Ed Miliband’ | Jeremy Clarkson sets tongues wagging with ‘offer to stand as MP and oust Ed Miliband’Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has accepted a challenge from ex-Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson to go head-to-head in his Doncaster North seat.
"I think he is a sort of long-standing aspirant to my seat," Mr Miliband said.
"I think he said in 2013 that he was going to contest my seat.
"So look, it's for other people to decide if they want to stand for Parliament, including in my seat.
"I welcome all comers. Let's see what happens."
Why I fear that the grooming gang inquiry could face delay and lose focus - Charlie Peters
At the start of September, Jess Phillips also promised that the Home Office was in the "final stages" of the appointment process. Six weeks have passed since then and still no chair has been selected.
Now, I've had a few drawn-out job interviews in my time, but the final stage isn't typically expected to drag out over several months.
Is it possible that the Government is struggling to find a judge to lead the process?
Is the issue now so politically toxic, caused in part by Labour's far-right smears in January and their months of delay generating a Westminster row on the crisis, that no judge wants to take up the responsibility of directing this probe?
Labour and Tory MP demand answers on grooming gangs inquiry scope amid survivor concerns
A Labour and Tory MP have joined forces to write to Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips expressing their concern about the grooming gang inquiry process.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who represents Rotherham, urged the minister to provide an update on the progress of the inquiry alongside Robbie Moore, the Tory MP for Keighley and Ilkley.
The pair said they "strongly believe" that the inquiry should be "tightly focused", expressing concerns that the inquiry avoids the "sprawling scope that hindered" the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by former social worker Alexis Jay.
They said that such a scope would weaken "its impact and confidence in its conclusions".
RECAP: Sadiq Khan accused of 'running down clock' as London Mayor avoids questions on grooming gangs
More From GB News