Sadiq Khan torn apart for refusing to hold London grooming gangs inquiry: 'Complete denial!'

Mr Prince's criticism comes ahead of his presentation to the Assembly of a petition with more than 40,000 signatures, calling for Sir Sadiq to resign.

The petition was sparked after his denial of the existence of grooming gangs in London, and is set to be delivered by Mr Prince to City Hall, on behalf of the CitizenGo advocacy group.

Recalling Sir Sadiq's apparent refusal to acknowledge grooming gangs in London, Mr Prince accused the Mayor of "pretending he didn't have a clue what she was talking about".

He told GB News: "You could see that he was really trying to drag her out, but Susan [Hall] was very firm, as she always is.

"I'm a big fan of Susan Hall, and she kept pushing and pushing to make him accept there was an issue and he just didn't want to know anything about it. Complete denial."

Advocating for an inquiry into the capital specifically rather than nationwide, Mr Prince said they have asked the Mayor "again and again" to initiate one.

He said: "We've asked him again and again and he just does not want to initiate an inquiry, and I think there should be an inquiry in London. Yes, there's talk of doing one across the nation, but we know that's that's not going very well.

"But I think in London particularly, the capital city, there should be one which he should be leading. Surely he should be worried about what's going on. As the commissioner for the metropolis, he should also be worried and we should get on and do an inquiry."

Stressing the urgency of an inquiry, the Assembly member warned that there are "lives at risk" the longer there is an absence of an inquiry.

Mr Prince explained: "We need to get on with it. We need to get an inquiry going, and we need one now. Children's lives are at risk and the way I see it at the moment, the one that the Government is supposed to be promoting is just playing politics.

"You've got people coming in and out - take leadership. We want leadership from our Mayor to say we're going to have our own inquiry and get on with it.

"London is the largest conurbation, 10 million people live in London, that's a sixth of the population almost. Just get on with it."

Calling on Sir Sadiq to "resign" if he fails to take action and hold an inquiry, Mr Prince made clear that if he was the Mayor, he "wouldn't be thinking of could, would, should - I'd be getting on with it".

He told GB News: "At the moment the petition is at around 41,000, and as I say, we'll probably be presenting it at the end of the month, but that depends on whether or not I can get it to go through on a Mayor's question.

"Technically I can't, so we'll have to see if we can get there, otherwise we'll do it another way.

"But the Mayor needs to know he needs to act, and if he's not prepared to act to safeguard our children, then he needs to go."

A spokesman for Sir Sadiq has previously said in a statement: "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 bringing perpetrators to justice."