The home secretary has denied the government is watering down its response to child grooming gangs after it was accused of dropping plans for local inquiries.
Yvette Cooper announced at the beginning of the year that “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” would take place in five areas including Oldham, Greater Manchester.
But this week, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips did not provide an update on local reviews and instead said local authorities would be able to access a £5m fund to support any work they wanted to carry out.
Asked by Anna Jones on Sky News whether this meant the government was watering down its response, Ms Cooper said: “No, completely the opposite.
“What we’re doing is increasing the action we’re taking on this vile crime.”
Ministers are facing a backlash following Ms Phillips’ statement in the Commons on Tuesday – made an hour before parliament rose for Easter recess – in which she said the government would take a “flexible approach” by allowing five councils to launch victims’ panels or locally led audits.
“Following feedback from local authorities, the fund will adopt a flexible approach to support both full independent local inquiries and more bespoke work, including local victims’ panels or locally-led audits into the handling of historic cases,” Ms Phillips said.
Conservative frontbencher Katie Lam responded by saying that local inquiries were not sufficient and that the government was “watering them down even further”, while Robbie Moore, the Tory MP for Keighley, said he was “completely infuriated”.
“For more than five years leaders at the very top of Bradford Council in my constituency have denied, refused and covered up the very single call that I and victims, survivors and their families have been making for a full rape gang inquiry across Keighley and the wider Bradford district,” he said.
“Yet the minister refuses to face the facts, Bradford’s leadership is simply not going to act by themselves.”
