Andy Burnham demands grooming gangs inquiry

Following the defeat of the Tory amendment in parliament last night, No. 10 might have hoped that calls for a public inquiry into grooming gangs are now dying down. But the impetus for such a move has been given fresh life today by another helpful intervention from that well-known Starmer ally, Andy Burnham. Yes, that’s right – the Mayor of Greater Manchester has decided that today of all days is the perfect time to add his voice to the chorus of demands. The self-identified ‘King in the North’ told BBC Radio Manchester today that while he rejected the Tories’ ‘opportunism’:

I do think there is the case for a limited national inquiry that draws on reviews like the one that I commissioned and the one we’ve seen in Rotherham, the one we’ve seen in Telford to draw out some of these national issues and compel peoople to give evidencewwho then may have charges to answer and be held to account.