Government votes down new national grooming gang inquiry

Labour has used its huge majority to vote down a Conservative call for a new national inquiry into grooming gangs.

The vote came at the end of a debate on the Children’s Wellbeing Bill and would have killed the legislation, had it been successful.

At a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions earlier, Sir Keir Starmer said that was “shortsighted and misguided” of the Conservatives. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said a new inquiry was the only way to “join the dots” and hold people to account.