'We cannot have people exploiting dual nationality to get away with facing justice'

Mrs Badenoch said of the perpetrators: “We cannot have people exploiting dual nationality to get away with facing justice.

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They are foreign criminals. Too many people are taking us for a ride. They are exploiting our system.”Sir Keir Starmer had announced a national inquiry into grooming gangs in June following pressure from the Tories and Reform UK.

But the probe was plunged into chaos in October when a string of survivors quit their roles in protest at how it had been handled.

Grooming gang survivor Fiona Goddard, who left the liaison panel, backed the Tory proposals, saying she had “lost faith in the ability of the government to make meaningful progress”.

Appearing alongside Mrs Badenoch yesterday at a press conference setting out the proposed terms for the probe, she said: “I have more confidence that the terms of reference released today by the Conservatives reflect the real thoughts and feelings of survivors.

“They stay true to the original purpose of the inquiry and align with the approach proposed by Baroness Casey, offering an honest, transparent and meaningful framework for the investigation.”