Sir Sadiq Khan is facing demands from City Hall Conservatives to organise a London-level inquiry into the issue of historic child sexual exploitation.
In a letter to the mayor from his former election rival Lord Bailey, the London Assembly member claimed there is “a strong possibility” that grooming gangs have operated in the capital, and that a City Hall-led inquiry would have “significant resources available to draw conclusions from across all thirty-two of London’s boroughs”.
Sir Sadiq’s office said in response that “supporting victims of rape and sexual assault remains a top priority for the mayor and Met Police” and ministers are already taking action following the “woeful failure of the last Government to implement the recommendations of Alexis Jay’s national inquiry into child sexual abuse”.
Lord Bailey wrote to the mayor: “Given that there are more than fifty areas that have been identified as locations in which the systemic rape of young children by grooming gangs took place, there is a strong possibility that this criminality also occurred in London.
“The most recent independent inquiry into child sexual abuse – the Jay report – only examined six towns. None were in London. Similarly, no local inquiries have taken place across any part of London, leaving a significant number of unanswered questions around the scale of this scandal in the capital.”
The assembly member’s reference to “more than fifty areas” appears to be in relation to a GB News article, in which one of the broadcaster’s journalists said they had identified more than 50 towns and cities which had “endured abuse gangs”. GB News reporter Charlie Peters is said by his employer to have drawn up the list after “sifting through court records, local media reports, and gathering first-hand accounts from several victims”.
Approached for comment, a spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: “The mayor’s thoughts are with the young victims who have suffered horrendous treatment at the hands of these abhorrent gangs.
“For too long victims of rape and sexual assault haven’t received the support and justice they deserve. This includes the woeful failure of the last Government to implement the recommendations of Alexis Jay’s national inquiry into child sexual abuse.
“In London, supporting victims of rape and sexual assault remains a top priority for the mayor and Met Police, and the capital has led the way with Operation Soteria – a national programme to improve how the police and criminal justice system deals with serious sexual offending.
“The mayor welcomes the action being taken by the new Government to rectify years of delay and inaction, including bringing new legislation to Parliament this week to keep children safe across the country. He is committed to working hand-in-hand with ministers to ensure women and girls are safe and victims get the justice they deserve.”