MP Jess Phillips has called for Birmingham to be included in the national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, arguing that the city has not previously been exposed as a major hotspot despite multiple cases of child sexual exploitation. Speaking to BirminghamLive, the former safeguarding minister emphasised that Birmingham's relative absence from landmark cases like those in Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford, and Oldham is precisely why it should now be investigated.
Phillips: 'Stories to Tell Everywhere'
Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley and a prominent campaigner against violence against women and girls, said she never wanted the inquiry to focus only on well-known locations. 'Birmingham is one place I know well. I have come across and handled lots of grooming gang cases here, but never with the profile of somewhere like Rotherham,' she stated. She highlighted the Telford inquiry, which revealed that many victims were abused in Birmingham, and noted that the lessons from Telford have not been applied in the neighbouring city.
Cross-Party Support for Inclusion
Conservatives in Birmingham, led by Councillor Robert Alden, have formally urged the inquiry's chair, Baroness Anne Longfield, to make Birmingham a subject of detailed investigation. Alden said: 'Victims and survivors in Birmingham deserve to have their voices heard. Any inquiry that aims to uncover the truth about grooming gangs and the institutional failures that allowed these horrific crimes to occur cannot afford to overlook the UK's second city.' Reform UK leader Jex Parkin backed the call, stating that victims deserve to know what was known and what action was taken.
Recent Convictions and Concerns
Recent convictions include Luke Edmonds, sentenced to over 15 years for targeting teenage girls on Snapchat, and Peter King, convicted of 15 sex offences including rape for luring children to his Birmingham flat in the 1990s and early 2000s. A BBC investigation also raised concerns about high street mini marts and vape shops linked to exploitation. Phillips, who worked in a sexual exploitation service covering Birmingham and the Black Country, noted progress in police and social care handling but warned against complacency.
Independent Inquiry Underway
The statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, established last year under the Home Office, is investigating historical and systemic failures across England and Wales. It examines how police, local authorities, and social services allowed group-based child sexual exploitation to occur, and will consider the role of ethnicity, religion, and culture. The inquiry, which began formally last month, is scheduled to run for up to three years and has legal powers to compel evidence.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, also a Birmingham MP, described the grooming gangs scandal as 'one of the darkest moments in our country's history' and vowed the inquiry would be 'laser focussed' on the issue. Phillips, no longer in government, remains committed to protecting girls and women, urging that Birmingham's story be uncovered.
