Labour 'chickened out' over grooming gangs, say Tories

CONSERVATIVES on Stockton Council have accused the ruling Labour group of “watering down” a letter to the Government calling for a “full public inquiry” into the criminal activities of grooming gangs preying on children.

- By STUART ARNOLD

A Conservative proposal in the form of a motion calling for such a letter to be sent was adopted by members by a majority of 29 for and 21 against after being considered at a meeting in January.

A Labour amendment requesting instead that the Government “considers commissioning a new targeted public inquiry” was rejected after the vote was deadlocked in a 25-25 split, the casting vote of the borough's mayor, Conservative member Councillor John Gardner being used to defeat it.

In a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, former council leader Bob Cook outlined the request of the council and attached the full substantive motion.

However in the second paragraph of the letter he made it plain that he and other members of the Labour group did not support the agreed motion, preferring the alternative which did not succeed, which he then went on to detail.