Rochdale MP Paul Waugh says national grooming inquiry must win survivors’ trust and 'follow the evidence wherever it leads’
Rochdale MP Paul Waugh has called on the government to guarantee that the upcoming national grooming gangs inquiry will not shy away from examining the role of race and class in the scandals that have devastated towns across the UK.
Speaking during a session in the House of Commons, Mr Waugh asked the Minister for Safeguarding, Jess Phillips, to ensure that the inquiry has the full confidence of victims and survivors. He also urged the minister to confirm that the inquiry will pursue the evidence without fear or favour, including difficult issues surrounding racial and class dynamics.
Mr Waugh specifically praised former police chief Jim Gamble, who has been publicly tipped as a leading candidate to chair the inquiry. Describing him as a "fearless and fiercely independent" figure with an exceptional record on child protection, Mr Waugh said Gamble would bring vital credibility to the investigation.
"I know the Minister won't want to comment on individual candidates to chair the National Grooming Inquiry," he told the Commons. “Can I just put on record that Jim Gamble is a highly regarded police officer with a long, long experience of dealing with this. His leadership of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre proved what a fearless and fiercely independent figure he was, with a real track record of tracking down sick paedophiles online and offline.
“But does she agree that the Chair of this inquiry has to be someone who can earn the trust of those who have been let down far too long by those in positions of authority? And can she confirm, as I hope she will, that the inquiry will not shy away from issues of race or class and will follow the evidence wherever it leads?”
In her reply, Minister Jess Phillips confirmed that the government had instructed police forces across the country to collect data on ethnicity as part of the broader efforts to ensure the inquiry tackles these sensitive aspects directly.
Mr Waugh later told Roch Valley Radio: “I’ve urged the government to make sure the inquiry has the full confidence of victims and survivors, and that it tackles the hard questions of race and class head-on. Former police chief Jim Gamble has a fearless record of protecting children and holding power to account, exactly the kind of independence and integrity this inquiry needs.”
The call for a thorough and transparent inquiry comes amid renewed public scrutiny of historic grooming scandals, including those in Rochdale. It follows recent demands from Councillor Farooq Ahmed for an emergency council meeting to address unresolved questions about how past abuse cases were handled locally.
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