UK Home Secretary Announces Laws Responding to National Grooming Gangs Report

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper addressed Parliament following the release of Baroness Louise Casey's damning report on grooming gangs, revealing systemic failures in protecting victims and a significant over-representation of suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage. The report criticizes authorities for avoiding examination of offenders' ethnicity due to fears of being labeled racist and highlights a failure to treat children as victims of sexual violence. Cooper apologized to victims and announced government acceptance of all 12 recommendations, including introducing mandatory rape charges for adult men who have sex with 13-15-year-olds and removing convicted offenders from the asylum system. The government plans a full national inquiry to coordinate local investigations, with a chairman expected to be appointed soon. Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, who previously resisted calls for an inquiry, has now committed to a statutory inquiry based on Casey's findings. Police have reopened over 800 historic child sexual abuse cases, with the number likely to rise, signaling a significant step towards addressing these crimes and institutional failures.