Labour have let down abused young women

IT'S hard to imagine a more appalling scandal than that of the series of “grooming gangs” that operated in towns such as Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and Oldham. They involved the sexual violation of vulnerable girls and young women. So “grooming” is a totally inadequate description.

- Rachael Hamilton

These were sickening cases of organised gangs engaged in child rape, sex trafficking, assault, abduction and possibly even murder.

In January, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a national review, though she stopped short of a full-scale statutory national inquiry.

Last week, Labour rowed back on even that commit-ment, with Jess Phillips — giving the lie to her title of “minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls” - announcing a more “flexible” review, involving five local panels.

That wasn’t just another of the many Labour broken promises. It was a betrayal of thousands of victims of disgusting and systematic abuse.