Why did Labour vote against having an inquiry into the rape gangs?

[Puzzled89]

I genuinely don't understand why they voted against this? Why would anyone trust a government that votes against the Pakistani rape/grooming gang inquiry?

I really don’t know either. Something fishy

My understanding is there had already been extensive investigations and the recommendations from those investigations hadnt been carried out by the previous government so they wanted to focus on those actions.

I've just asked Chatgpt, apparently something to do with it would delay other laws that are put in place to protect children and that there has already been investigations into it previously

Why did the Conservatives vote against it when they were in power?

Wasn't it that when starmer was head of the CPS, the decision was made not to prosecute? For god knows what reason.
He not likely to want to investigate himself.

Starmer said it was a far right bandwagon. There had been a wide ranging enquiry into child sexual abuse that had briefly looked into the rape gang issue and was widely touted as having ‘already covered this’.

it’s my opinion that it was just too difficult for Labour to confront the issue so it pretended it had already been dealt with, until public opinion got too strong against their stance.

Exactly this.

There has already been an extensive enquiry into grooming gangs, with recommendations made that Labour said they would rather focus on putting in place than spend more money on another enquiry.

Because they're had been a long running costly one already under the Tories who implemented none of the recommendations in it.
Labour initially felt they should work with that to avoid delay.
Which seems entirely sensible.
The previous inquest chair recommended otherwise so they accepted that
Again seems entirely reasonable

The rape gang inquiry was a proposed amendment by the Tories to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This was done at it's second reading in the HoC. Due to the way the passage of legislation works through Parliament, had this amendment been passed, it would have killed the Bill outright.

Rules of Parliament are very complicated (deliberately).

There is always an explanation that doesn't involve the usual tiresome accusations of racism and the like (which is rather telling of the frame of mind of the general public anyway).

Even if the rape gang inquiry was introduced as it's own primary legislation into Parliament, the Labour Party would have torpedoed it anyway.

Sounds like the Tories put it in as an amendment to a bill which they knew was never going to pass (because it’s not relevant to the law which is about schools) so it was just something the Tories were doing for show really. Now they can say Labour have voted against having an inquiry.

I find it confusing because this (which is happening) kind of sounds like the inquiry they’re after? https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/independent-inquiry-into-grooming-gangs What am I missing?

Because it will uncover some uncomfortable truths.

One thing I’m absolutely sure of is that it’s not because MPs on any side are pro grooming gangs.

FGS because there had already been one and the previous government had not implemented the recommendations.

A second enquiry, with an added bit of islamophobia, would have added little, but would have paused other things that were already being put in place.

This has been done to death.

I'm sure it has, but not everyone lives on Mumsnet.

OP, are you chuntering for a public inquiry into the 85%+ of sexual offences that are committed by white people of christian heritage? Of course you aren't.

I thought the casey report called for a national enquiry which is what Labour initially voted against and then u-turned and the survivors expressed deep concerns about the scope, what they were “allowed” to say and the appointments to the enquiry. I may be wrong.

Apparently women are getting in contact with Lowes enquiry and they are having to extend it to take more statements from people.

People can complain but the victims of sexual violence should be heard, on their own terms. It’s the least we can do as a society given the abject failures.

I think the point was this was different, there was collusion basically by authorities, one girl was literally married off to her abuser in a nikah attended by her social worker. People were literally calling their family members to join in, there were reports of family members of the rapists trying to get jobs at charities supporting victims (I assume these were female family members) , there was a heavy cultural element here. The modus operandi was a bit unique and we don’t actually know how far it goes of for how long. People are still being prosecuted for historic crimes. There are networks and girls were moved between towns.

This isn’t going to go away so may as well shine a light on it. People who think it’s a nothing burger will either be proved right or wrong. What I don’t get is why people get so upset at the idea that victims will be heard.

Because Labour need the Muslim community for votes.

Sadiq Khan
x.com/ajatheempress/status/2024501145717088456?s=61&t=gd6tu0Iz6JpyKXGLWMLGjg

Another extensive report may not be bad in itself but there has already been one. Why do another? Practical measures being put in place to safe guard children and vulnerable people is more important if there’s already been informed advice given and actions to follow.
The conservatives are not known for prioritising & protecting the vulnerable, infact their whole ethos goes against it.

Sadiq Khan disgusts me. i watched an exchange with Susan Hall which basically looked like race baiting while he tried to pretend he didn’t know exactly what she meant. Now we find young teens are being raped in London.

I found out today we don’t have statutory rape laws, between 13-16 you can still argue in court a child consented. This needs to be fixed asap. We should have statutory rape and a Romeo and Juliet law to cover kids with an age difference up to 3 years.

This

I think people generally don’t like child rapists regardless of where you are on the political spectrum.

Well there HAS already been an enquiry. Why aren't you and other posters concentrating on getting the recommendations implemented instead of grandstanding and strawmanning?

https://fullfact.org/online/starmer-muslim-grooming-prosecution-crime/

Extracts from Rupert Lowe’s rape gang inquiry has been hard to read but I am glad he has done it.

I hope some women get closure and the private prosecutions are successful.

The old gov inquiry didn’t explicitly look at Pakistani rape gangs - from memory they were barely mentioned.

These victims have been let down and so many people knew the truth. Social workers, teachers, doctors, nurses, police, councillors, counsellors, charity workers, MPs, local authorities, family members of the vile men. It is in so many people’s interest to sweep this under the rug.