MPs in Berkshire have voted on a Conservative push to launch a new public inquiry into grooming gangs and the sexual exploitation of vulnerable women and girls.
The Conservative Party have led a push to launch a public inquiry into sexual abuse by grooming gangs.
Increasing calls for the inquiry into grooming gangs have received backing from Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla Motors and owner of X/Twitter.
The Conservatives attempted to introduce a new inquiry in an amendment to the Labour government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
However, the push for a public inquiry was defeated by 364 votes to 111 votes, a margin of 253.
All five Labour MPs in Berkshire voted against it. The three Liberal Democrats abstained.
Only Jack Rankin, the Conservative MP for Windsor, voted for a new inquiry.
You can view how your Berkshire MP voted on the amendment below:
Matt Rodda, Labour MP for Reading Central – Against
Olivia Bailey, Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire – Against
Yuan Yang, Labour MP for Earley and Woodley – Against
Clive Jones, Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham – Abstained
Peter Swallow, Labour MP for Bracknell – Against
Lee Dillon, Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury – Abstained
Josh Reynolds, Liberal Democrat MP for Maidenhead – Abstained
Jack Rankin, Conservative MP for Windsor – For
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough – Against
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces measures which Labour politicians claim will ‘help tackle the tragedy of children vanishing from education and protect young people from exploitation, grooming and abuse’.
The vote on the Conservative amendment took place on Wednesday, January 8.
Supporters of a new public inquiry have argued an inquiry would be fundamental in taking steps to protect children, as many of the victims were vulnerable girls in children’s homes.
However, opponents countered that the Conservative amendment threatened the passage of the bill, and have stated that inquiries into child sexual abuse, including grooming gangs, have already been conducted.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which ran for seven years and concluded in 2022.
Supporters of a fresh inquiry argued that this inquiry did not have a specific focus on grooming gangs, with an article in The Telegraph branding the inquiry a “whitewash”.
Meanwhile, an independent inquiry commissioned by Rotherham Borough Council uncovered the sexual abuse of 1,400 children over a 16 year period, perpetrated mainly by British Pakistani men.
There have been no direct convictions for grooming and gang-related sexual exploitation offences in Berkshire.
However, Operation Bullfinch by Thames Valley Police in Oxford led to the sentencing of 22 men for sexual abuse who were mostly British citizens of Pakistani origin.
In Banbury, Oxfordshire a grooming ring of six abusers were sentenced for sexual offences between 2009 and 2014.
