Will Sunak's Crackdown On Grooming Gangs Deliver?

Nobody likes grooming gangs. Few things evoke revulsion on the same scale as groups of men intent on child sexual exploitation. So Rishi Sunak and his home secretary Suella Braverman would seem to be on very safe ground when they vowed to "stamp out" an obvious evil.

- Adam Forrest

However, the Tory government has been accused of seizing on the issue as an entirely cynical vote chaser, with opposition parties and experts questioning the sincerity of the latest get-tough plans and rhetoric ahead of local elections. Braverman was charged with "dog whistle" politics over grooming gangs after she repeatedly singled out British-Pakistani men yesterday - and claimed Labour councils had "turned a blind eye" to signs of abuse over fears of being racist.

The home secretary revealed at the weekend that the government will consult over a plan to make sure people working with children in England have a legal duty to report "signs or suspicions" of any form of sexual abuse. But the announcement was quickly overshadowed by the plan to create a new grooming gang taskforce, led by police and supported by the National Crime Agency, made up of officers with "extensive experience" of undertaking investigations into grooming gangs.