Rotherham MP Sarah Champion has called for a national inquiry into grooming gangs with a local focus.

In a statement posted on X, Champion said that "local inquiries do not have the power to compel witnesses/evidence, nor would they satisfy the public concern of cover-ups".

The statement comes just days after Labour MPs voted down a proposed national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill earlier this month, calling for a full inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

Sarah Champion

No Labour MP voted in favour of the amendment.

The 111 MPs who supported it included 101 Conservatives and all 5 Reform UK MPs.

It was defeated by a majority of 253.

I’ve published my 5 point plan to ensure children are safeguarded, victims & survivors can access the support that they need, perpetrators are brought to justice & those in authority are held to account.

This includes a national inquiry into grooming gangs pic.twitter.com/iLBWqrwpKK

— Sarah Champion (@SarahChampionMP) January 13, 2025

GB News' Charlie Peters speaks to a grooming gang victim