Shabana Mahmood reveals grooming gangs inquiry is ‘effectively up and running’ – and sets date for formal launch

Sir Keir Starmer last year ordered the inquiry after GB News identified 50 towns and cities where child exploitation gangs have operated.

And the inquiry’s chairman Baroness Longfield was confirmed in the role by the Home Secretary before Christmas, with a start date for the inquiry’s work into the rape and exploitation of girls by Pakistani-heritage men for decades set for March 31.

Ms Mahmood told Britain’s News Channel: “It’s effectively up and running in the sense that, of course, we’ve appointed Anne Longfield as the chair and we have the panel in place.

“There are draft terms of reference, which she is currently consulting on.

“I believe she’s spoken to survivor groups already about those draft terms of reference. I think the full terms of reference will now just be finalised in a matter of weeks, and then it’s up and running and it’s going into different parts of the country to investigate.”

She added: “The first important thing is to make sure everyone’s happy with the terms of reference.

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“So the draft ones have been published, which will show the full range of issues that the inquiry will consider.

“Anne Longfield and her team are currently consulting on that with stakeholders, with victims’ groups, with survivors, so that they can input into the terms of reference. She will then finalise those terms of reference and then they’re up and running.”

Ms Mahmood also confirmed that the issues of race, ethnicity and culture will form part of the inquiry.

She added: “That will be looked at by the panel. It’s in the draft terms of reference.

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“She’s already consulting with victims and survivor groups to make sure they’re happy with the draft terms of reference, that they’re expansive enough to deal with a full range of horrifying issues that we saw in that scandal. And then once those are finalised, the inquiry will be up and running.

“Once it’s fully up and running and hearing evidence, I think we’ll be able to show victims and survivors that finally there’s a chance of a proper process that gives them the answers that they absolutely deserve.”

Ms Mahmood also warned that the UK must not head down a path of sectarian politics after a divisive by-election in Gorton and Denton when the Greens were criticised for producing campaign videos in Urdu.

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She said that while she always campaigned in English, “people do speak other languages as well”.

“I speak other languages,” she said. “Sometimes you do converse in other languages when you’re on the doorstep. It’s not necessarily divisive, but what I think is actually really important is that we don’t we don’t go down a track of sectarian politics.

“It’s really important for politicians to have something to say to every type of voter in an area, not just one type of voter in a specific area.

“As somebody from an ethnic minority myself, I was always trying to build a broad coalition, because I think that’s in our pluralistic traditions and that’s the best of British.

“And I think that’s the way that campaign should be done. But that’s a matter for the Greens.”