MINISTERS MUST BE CLEAR IF UK HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH RAPE GANGS SAYS GOVERNMENT ADVISER

MINISTERS must be clear on whether there is a serious problem with rape and grooming gangs, according to the government’s independent adviser on political violence.

Asked why the government is opposed to a national inquiry, Lord Walney told Camilla Tominey on GB News: “The issue with the public inquiries is that they really, genuinely can drag on.

“They can suck the whole of the life out of an issue. I’ve got sympathy with ministers over not wanting to go down that [route].

“But I think it is really important that we are clear, the government is clear, politicians, us as a country, have a clearer answer to the central question that a lot of people watching this must be thinking, which is, does the UK have a serious problem with these rape and grooming gangs led by are they led disproportionately, not exclusively, but disproportionately, by men of Pakistani heritage preying on white girls…

“I’m not clear at the moment what our answer to that is. If the answer to that is yes, then the immediate conversation ought to go very quickly as to, well, what are we going to do about it? And that’s where avoiding a public inquiry could actually speed up action.

“If the answer is no, well, I think that will run counter to what a lot of people looking at this are thinking.

“But it’s really important that if that is actually statistically a myth, then we, all the government ministers, institutions, need to be out there showing actually why that perception is a myth.

“And, if the answer is we’re not sure and we don’t have sufficient evidence to understand it, then clearly more examination is urgently needed.

“That may not be in the form of a public statutory inquiry, but we have to place a greater focus on that.”