Farage Demands National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs as Pressure Mounts on Government

Nigel Farage Calls for National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, has called for a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. He made the remarks during the Reform UK North West Conference on Saturday, January 11, 2025.

Farage's call for an inquiry comes after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he believed there was a case for a "limited national inquiry" into the issue. Burnham's statement followed a speech by Elizabeth Harper, a survivor of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, who also called for an inquiry.

Farage said that he welcomed Burnham's decision and that he believed the pressure on the Prime Minister to act was becoming immense. He also reiterated his pledge that Reform UK would establish its own review if the government did not act by the end of January.

A poll conducted by More in Common found that 60% of people believe the current Labour government has not done enough to tackle grooming gangs, while 69% said the same about the previous Conservative administration. The poll also found that more than half of respondents had no or not much confidence that the justice system takes allegations of child sexual exploitation seriously.

Farage said that unless the full extent and scale of the grooming gangs scandal is understood, it will be impossible to stop it from happening again. He also said that he believes the perpetrators of these crimes are likely to be motivated by racism.

The Reform UK conference in Chester was attended by over 180,000 people, making it the fastest-growing political movement in the UK.