Nigel Farage has warned that the Mayor for London Sadiq Khan is failing victims of the rape gangs in what he describes as the last “great grooming scandal to be uncovered,” he told the Express.
The Reform UK leader said that following an investigation by MyLondon and the Express “it looks like we are very close” exposing the true scale of the crimes which have been committed in London under Khan’s watch.
The Daily Express asked Farage should Khan resign? The Reform UK leader replied, “Yes, he’s been denying that there’s been grooming going on in London.
“The police, the Met have been denying grooming is going on in London.
“I can tell you today, somebody in this room has spoken to social services in London who openly said there are grooming gangs in London.
“It’s more difficult to spot a particular type of grooming gang in central London than it is in Rotherham just by the sheer size of the city, the different communities, in this city.
“Yes, maybe, Maggie Oliver made this point, maybe London is the last great grooming scandal to be uncovered.
“It looks like we are very close.”
The Metropolitan Police has said they will review 9,000 child sexual exploitation cases which covered a 15-year period.
Farage is calling for Parliamentary Commission to look into the grooming gangs scandals, he is calling for it to be “better, quicker, more transparent and more open.”
Farage said on Monday afternoon during a major announcement, “What I want to do is to offer Parliament a chance to re-establish itself in the minds of people as a good, fair and just institution. It’s time for Parliament to step up and to do its job. Do you remember back in 2009 when Sir Fred Goodwin was ordered to open before the banking commission? A new committee that had been set up between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and Goodwin had to go to appear.
“And I just don’t think we realise just how much power Parliament actually has if it chooses to use it. Select committees have the power to summon anybody, they could summon a former social worker, they could summon a former police officer, they could summon a former councillor, they could summon a former member of Parliament.”
The Reform UK leader added, “It also has the ability to sanction those if anybody refuses to appear. It also has the power to require that people swear an oath. And the important thing about swearing an oath is if what you say in that forum is deliberately misleading or untrue, then of course you could prosecution for perjury…
“I am saying here is the most enormous opportunity for Parliament and indeed for this Government to restore some public trust in the institution and those that currently inhabit it on an issue that has been gnawing away at our public consciences for just over a decade. I will be with my colleagues meeting the Speaker this evening, I will be putting these points to him.”
He continued, “I will tomorrow write to Dame Karen Bradley, the chairman of the home affairs committee, to suggest a subcommittee is set up. And yes, let’s broaden it to a commission, and let’s get those from the House of Lords who understand this subject involved as well.”
A Met Police spokesperson said, “Any sexual offending against children is abhorrent but group-based offending, often characterised as ‘grooming gangs’, is particularly insidious and devastating in its profound impact on the children affected.
The Met takes all allegations or concerns about child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation incredibly seriously and always investigates, following the evidence without fear or favour.
