Bradford abuse could 'dwarf' Rotherham, says MP

The scale of child sexual abuse and exploitation across the Bradford district is feared to "dwarf that of Rotherham", according to a Conservative MP.

A 2014 report by Prof Alexis Jay described how more than 1,400 children were sexually exploited by gangs of men in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore told the Commons on Monday that "rape gangs" and the grooming of children had "haunted" the Bradford area for decades.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said "appalling crimes" had taken place against "children in Bradford, in Keighley and across the country".

Senior Conservatives and Reform UK MPs have spent the week calling for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.

But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accused opposition MPs of "jumping on a bandwagon" and "amplifying what the far-right is saying" to gain attention.

Speaking in the Commons, Moore accused local leaders of refusing to launch an inquiry.

He said the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which concluded in 2022, was "not an inquiry into rape gangs" and did not reference Keighley or Bradford, adding: "Despite many, including myself, fearing that the scale of this issue across the Bradford district will dwarf that of Rotherham."

He went on to ask the home secretary: "How many children across the Bradford district have been abused through child sexual exploitation, who are the perpetrators and when will my constituents expect to see them behind bars or deported?"

Cooper replied: "There are appalling crimes that have taken place against children in Bradford, in Keighley and across the country, truly appalling crimes, and we also have to, all of us, face up to the fact that child sexual abuse and exploitation continues.

"This is not just about historic crimes, this is about continuing crimes and abuse for hundreds of thousands of children across the country and that is why it's so important, first of all, we take forward the reforms that have been proposed, that we make sure we have the way to keep victims and survivors' voices at the very heart of this.

"But some of it has got to be about how we change the way that policing and councils work together implementing changes and reforms, including on the duty to report."

Cooper said the government would work with Tom Crowther, who chaired an inquiry into abuse in Telford, and the victims and survivors panel on "how best local areas can best involve survivors and victims in what has happened in their area" to ensure they can "get to the truth and also that fundamental changes take place for the future".

Debate around grooming gangs was reignited this week after it was reported that Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips had rejected Oldham Council's request for a government-led inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation in the town, in favour of a locally-led investigation.

The decision was taken in October, but first reported by GB News on 1 January.

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