MPs vote down Conservatives' attempt to force new national grooming gangs inquiry
8 January 2025, 19:16 | Updated: 8 January 2025, 19:30
MPs have rejected the Conservatives' attempt to force a new national inquiry national on grooming gangs.
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The Tories' amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill was voted down by 364 votes to 111 - a majority of 253.
The amendment sought to force a statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, which the government have refused, saying they want to implement the recommendations of a 2022 report instead.
Even if the amendment had passed the government would not have been required to hold the inquiry.
Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch clashed over the grooming gangs inquiry issue at Prime Minister's Questions earlier on Wednesday, with the PM urging the Conservative leader to drop the amendment.
Starmer said that having spoken to grooming victims "they were clear they want action now, not the delay of a further inquiry".
The PM told MPs that a further inquiry could delay action on tackling child sexual abuse.
But one survivor of the Rotherham grooming gangs told LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr on Wednesday that she wanted a fresh inquiry and waiting another few years "wouldn't do any harm".
She added: "I think if I'm going to be putting my real opinion out there is, I think [Starmer's] afraid of what's going to come back on him as well. I think there's a large reluctance on that."
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had said earlier that failing to back a probe would fuel concerns about a "cover-up".
The Tory leader hit back: "The Prime Minister called for nine inquiries in the last parliament. Does he not see that by resisting this one, people will start to worry about a cover-up?"
She urged the former director of public prosecutions to "be a leader, not a lawyer".
