Labour peer Maurice Glasman has joined forces with Nigel Farage to back a parliamentary bill that calls for a statutory inquiry into the abuse gangs scandal.
Along with several Tory frontbenchers, the cross-party group will demand a national public inquiry into the crisis.
The coalition of a Labour peer with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK will set off alarm bells in Labour HQ ahead of this week’s local elections.
Backing the bill, Lord Glasman said: “The gangs are still operating. The British public expect action so the police and other services finally get a grip of this disgrace.
Maurice Glasman is part of Blue Labour
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“I support an Inquiry to get to the truth and improve how all parts of the state deal with sexual abuse of children”.
Farage added: “Labour and Tories have failed on the grooming gangs. They have failed to bring justice to the thousands of victims across multiple decades of these horrific crimes.
"They have failed to hold anyone in authority to account for years of cover-ups and failure. We must have a comprehensive inquiry that no authority or offender can hide from.
"We must stop the judges keeping these criminal trials secret, an outrageous recent development that the Government ignores. We must have a national inquiry so we stop the gangs that are still organising the sexual abuse of children today.”
GB News also understands that many Labour MPs have given their support to the bill in principle but are wary of publicly breaking with the frontbench, especially ahead of Thursday’s vote.
One Labour figure indicated that they would back the bill after the elections had concluded.
The grooming gangs issue returned to national prominence in January when GB News revealed that the shadow safeguarding minister Jess Phillips had rejected a request for a government-led inquiry in Oldham.
The billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk waded into the debate, sparking demands for a national inquiry into the scandal from the Tories and Reform UK, plus several influential Labour figures including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Sir Keir Starmer resisted calls for an inquiry, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announcing that Baroness Louise Casey would conduct a rapid three-month audit of group-based exploitation. GB News understands that her report is set to be return to the Home Office in early May.
Cooper also announced that the government would fund five local inquiries and develop a new framework under the direction of barrister Tom Crowther KC.
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Nigel Farage has called for a public inquiry into the grooming gangs
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Crowther has since expressed his frustration at the process, telling the Home Affairs Select Committee that he texted an official “do you still want me?” amid a period of limited communication.
The Tories accused Labour of “watering down” their commitment to five local inquiries earlier this month after Phillips made an announcement in parliament where she outlined how, after feedback from local authorities, the funding for inquiries would also go to “locally-led work.”
The government later insisted that it could fund even more than five local inquiries. So far, only Oldham has been confirmed.
Conservative frontbencher Katie Lam said: "Thousands of victims in dozens of communities have had their lives ruined by these gangs. The state has failed these children and their families time and time again.
“In many towns, gangs will still be operating, and the public servants who covered up these crimes have faced no consequences.
“We need a full, independent National Inquiry to uncover the scale of these horrors: the victims deserve justice, and the public deserves to know the truth.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told GB News: “The rape gang scandal, where the perpetrators were of predominantly Pakistani heritage, have been covered up for too long. Only a national public inquiry will get to the truth.”
The government insisted that it could fund even more than five local inquiries. So far, only Oldham has been confirmed
He added: “I will be pushing an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to a vote on the floor of the House to establish a national rape gang inquiry. But I support any legislative measure to bring about the national statutory inquiry so desperately needed.”
Campaign group Crush Crime has launched the bill to "give the government a chance to do the right thing."
The group's director Dr Lawrence Newport said: "Crush Crime has prepared a ready-to-go bill for a time limited, focused, high powered inquiry into the national scandal of grooming gangs.
"The public demands justice from this. There can be no further excuses for delays. There must be no stone left unturned in the search for the truth. This is a chance for politicians to end the cover-up culture.
"We gave the government a chance to do the right thing – but we are now forced to bring forward our own bill because they have failed to act."
GB News has contacted Labour for comment.
