A new YouGov poll has revealed that more than three-quarters of Britons support calls for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, putting Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at odds with public opinion.
The survey, commissioned by the Women’s Policy Centre, found 76 per cent of the public back demands for a national investigation into the sexual abuse of children by grooming gangs.
Only 13 per cent of all adults opposing such a move, with 10 per cent of Tory voters, 22 per cent of Labour voters, 18 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters and just four per cent of Reform UK voters opposing the move.
The findings come just hours after Labour MPs helped vote down a Conservative amendment calling for a statutory inquiry, with 364 votes against 111 in favour.
New polling has found the majority of people are in favour of the inquiry
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The poll of 2,533 adults found 84 per cent of Conservative voters were in favour of a national independent inquiry into the sexual abuse and rape of children by grooming gangs, compared to 65 per cent of Labour voters, 71 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters and 91 per cent of Reform voters.
Paola Diana, Chair of the Women’s Policy Centre, said women’s rights have been “sacrificed in the name of indiscriminate multiculturalism and misogyny.”
She said: “This poll shows the public wants a public enquiry as this is a national issue of huge concern.
“For too long, women’s rights have been overlooked and sacrificed in the name of indiscriminate multiculturalism and misogyny and have been diminished due to policymakers’, and people responsible for safeguarding children, fear of being labelled racists and Islamophobic.
“Women’s rights are the pillar of our democracy and should be protected at all costs, and if that means the deportation of rapists and the drastic reduction of male immigration from certain countries, so be it.”
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A GB News investigation revealed that grooming gang scandals were predominantly concentrated in Labour-held constituencies.
Major cases in Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford – areas with Labour majorities of 2,345, 10,789 and 8,456 respectively – involved more than 2,500 child victims collectively.
The investigation identified over 20 Labour-held areas affected by grooming gangs, including Bradford, Manchester, and Birmingham, all with significant Labour majorities.
In contrast, only a handful of Conservative seats reported grooming gang activities, with Banbury being a notable example.
Kemi Badenoch grilled Starmer on the policy
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During Prime Minister’s Questions, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch clashed with Sir Keir Starmer over the proposed inquiry.
Starmer urged Badenoch to drop her “wrecking amendment” to the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, arguing that a further inquiry could delay action on tackling child sexual abuse.
The Prime Minister pointed to recommendations from a seven-year probe in 2022 that had not yet been implemented. Badenoch 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?”
Following the vote, a Labour spokesperson said: “The Conservatives attempted to block this Government’s plans to keep the most vulnerable children in our country safe from harm.”