Update on Rupert Lowe's Grooming Gang Inquiry
The Rape Gang Inquiry (also called the Grooming Gang Inquiry) is an independent, crowdfunded investigation led by Independent MP Rupert Lowe.#It was launched in early 2025 due to frustration with government inaction on group-based child sexual exploitation. It raised over £600k and has released research reports and quantitative findings.
Key findings so far (as of late 2025/early 2026):Evidence of gang-based child sex abuse in at least 85 UK local authorities (including historic cases dating back decades, some to the 1960s). Identifiable patterns involving predominantly Pakistani men in many cases, combined with gross negligence and institutional failures by public bodies (police, councils, etc.), who often ignored warnings to avoid community relations issues or accusations of racism.
Authorities disregarded clear signs in multiple instances, allowing abuse to continue for extended periods.
Overrepresentation of foreign nationals in some child sex crime conviction data (e.g., despite being ~11% of the population in England/Wales, they accounted for 17% of certain convictions in 2024 analysis).
The inquiry has held hearings (starting early February 2026), heard from survivors and whistleblowers (over 60 in some sessions), and continues to pressure the slower government-led national statutory inquiry (announced in 2025 but criticized for delays). It has sent hundreds of FOI requests to gather data and plans to release more reports.This is separate from (and helped prompt) the official government inquiry under Keir Starmer's administration.
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