The British government continues to dodge accountability over one of the most disturbing scandals in recent history—the mass abuse of young girls by Pakistani Muslim Grooming Gangs. Despite calls for a national public inquiry, Labour point to the 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) as sufficient. But was it?

The incredible work of GB News investigative journalist, Charlie Peters, has led to a number of revelations coming to light in regards to not just the rape gangs, but the police and government cover-up.

Labour’s Wes Streeting recently dismissed calls for a new investigation, claiming the IICSA report had already addressed the issue. Yet closer scrutiny reveals that the inquiry barely scratched the surface. It failed victims, whistleblowers, and the British public by downplaying the scope and systemic failures surrounding these crimes.

The Scope of the Inquiry: A Deliberate Blind Spot

The IICSA, launched in 2015, aimed to examine all forms of child exploitation. Instead of dedicating serious focus to grooming gangs, these networks were lumped in with other abuse cases. Meanwhile, separate investigations were conducted into online abuse, the Catholic Church, and care homes.

Shockingly, Rotherham—the epicenter of the grooming gang scandal—was mentioned just once in the 400-page final report. Rochdale only featured in reference to former Lib Dem MP Cyril Smith’s abuse of boys, while Telford wasn’t mentioned at all.

When the IICSA did study organized networks, it chose six case study areas where Muslim grooming gangs were not as significant problem. Towns like Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford—where the scale of abuse is undeniable—were ignored. Instead, it examined Bristol, where Somali gangs were implicated, but avoided broader national patterns.

GB News has identified over 50 towns and cities impacted by grooming gangs, most of which have never had a proper inquiry. Clearly, more investigation is desperately needed.

Ethnicity and Political Correctness: Avoiding the Uncomfortable Truth

The IICSA report sidestepped one of the most controversial aspects of the grooming gang scandal: the ethnic/religious makeup of perpetrators and how the victims were working class white children. Multiple studies and reviews have highlighted the over-representation of Pakistani men in these crimes. Yet the report used the term ‘Pakistani’ only once—and merely to define someone as Asian.

Police data was also deliberately obscured. In between 28% and 86% of cases, authorities failed to record the ethnicity of offenders, enabling IICSA to claim there was insufficient data to draw conclusions about links between ethnicity and organized abuse.

The report also fails to mention the racial aspect of why Pakistani Muslim men picked white girls. The racist abuse the children received while being tortured that would indicate the perpetrator's reasons behind victim selection was not addressed.

However, even their limited findings contradict that conclusion. Of six major prosecutions referenced in the report, four involved Asian men, while only one involved white perpetrators. Ignoring these patterns perpetuates a culture of denial and political correctness that allowed these crimes to flourish unchecked in the first place.

Whistleblowers and Survivors Ignored

Maggie Oliver, a former detective and key whistleblower, described IICSA as a “cover up.” Her damning testimony highlights the inquiry’s flaws. Two-thirds of her statement was excluded, and she accused the inquiry of relying on officials instead of listening to survivors. Many victims weren’t even given the opportunity to testify, despite their experiences being central to understanding the scale of institutional failure. Oliver rightly argues that trusting the same authorities who failed to protect victims to now investigate themselves is an act of wilful blindness.

The Need for a Proper Investigation

The government’s refusal to commission a new inquiry, citing the flawed IICSA report, is an insult to victims and their families. Both Labour and the Tories have enabled this scandal—whether through negligence, cowardice, or complicity.

Keir Starmer himself admitted that the Tories turned Britain into a “one-nation mass immigration experiment.” Yet neither party is willing to address the cultural, social, and legal failures that allowed these gangs to operate with impunity.

Conclusion

The IICSA report failed to deliver justice. It ignored the towns most affected, avoided uncomfortable truths about ethnicity, and sidelined survivors’ voices. Until the government confronts the realities of these crimes, victims will continue to be let down.

A new, comprehensive national inquiry is essential—not just to expose the scale of the problem but to ensure it never happens again. Britain deserves better than political platitudes and whitewashed reports.