The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has announced a multi-million pound funding package for child sexual exploitation victims, including survivors of grooming gangs, as police continue reviewing thousands of abuse cases
A £2.4million funding package has been announced for victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in London, including survivors of grooming gangs. The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said the investment will directly fund new Independent Sexual Violence Advocates and expand counselling provision for all survivors of CSE while police continue to review thousands of abuse cases.
The Mayor’s response to questions about grooming gangs has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after a joint investigation by MyLondon and the Express, following claims he played dumb and stonewalled questions repeatedly raised by Greater London Assembly (GLA) opposition leader Susan Hall. The Mayor did not apologise when grilled again by Hall at the GLA last week.
Sir Sadiq previously had said there were “no reports” or “indication” of rape gangs operating in London, while Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the force had “not seen” a problem with child sexual exploitation gangs when asked directly by Lord Shaun Bailey. A senior Met Police commander also denied the issue in a private briefing to City Hall politicians, according to Hall.
But after mounting pressure by MyLondon/Express reporting which was picked up by national media, plus investigations by the Evening Standard and Unherd, the Mayor says he demanded full transparency from the Met, resulting in the revelation that the force is re-examining 9,000 group-based CSE cases, spanning online, intrafamilial, institutional, peer-on-peer, and grooming gangs.
Last week a U-turn on official denials was complete when, appearing before the GLA, Sir Mark revealed: “Our current caseload, includes tens of complex group-based cases closest to what the public may understand by the term grooming gangs.
“In these cases, we do not see the typology reported elsewhere, where there have been cases of offending committed by groups of Pakistani men on white British children being the sole or majority case. It will be part of the picture, but it’s not dominating in the way that’s been reported elsewhere.”
When Hall asked why a Met Police commander had apparently denied the existence of grooming gangs in a private intelligence briefing, Sir Mark said he was sure it “wasn’t [their] intention” to “leave that impression”.
The Mayor’s press team are also now claiming Hall’s questions “had specific characteristics in terms of the ethnicity”, even though ethnicity was not addressed by her or the Mayor. In January, Hall asked the Mayor if London had gangs like in Rotherham “where there are people taking young girls and grooming them for sex”, but the Mayor referred to county lines drug gangs in his answer.
Grooming gangs are ‘utterly abhorrent’
This weeks announcement of a multi-million pound funding package is a significant step forward for grooming gang survivors in London, who were previously denied a London-wide enquiry into child exploitation when a £4.49million budget amendment by the Conservatives was voted down by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens.
Some of money will go to the Lighthouse, which has supported 3,000 victims since it was set up by the Mayor in 2018 to provide multi-agency support for victims and survivors in a child-friendly environment. The specialist support will also deliver advocacy, counselling, emotional and physical well-being help.
In 2023 the Mayor asked the police inspectorate to look at the Met’s response to child protection, including sexual exploitation. The Mayor’s office say measures taken since the report, including a ‘Child First’ approach with missing children, has led to improved policing results for CSE, with 207 suspects charged in the last six months compared to 63 in the same period last year.
The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said: “Any individuals, groups or grooming gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent and I want justice for every single victim of these horrific crimes. These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm.
“Since taking office, I have led efforts to strengthen the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms in London, including grooming gangs. We have delivered vital investment in specialist services to support child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation and driven forward long-overdue reforms in the way the Met protects children. This includes specifically commissioning HMICFRS to independently inspect the Met’s child protection arrangements in 2023, which has led to lasting improvements.
“I have asked the Met to leave no stone unturned to secure justice for the victims of these horrific crimes. As the Met carries out its vital work to re-examine cases over the past 15 years, I’m announcing a new £2.4m package of support for victims and survivors to ensure they have the care, attention and specialist support services they deserve.
“I’m clear that the Met must follow the evidence wherever it leads and will continue to support and hold the Met to account to ensure it does everything possible to tackle all child sexual exploitation in the capital, including grooming gangs, to build a safer London for everyone.”
Commander Clair Kelland, the Met’s Public Protection lead, said: “The Met takes all allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation extremely seriously. That’s why we are reviewing historic cases which cover online, intrafamilial, institutional, and peer-on-peer abuse cases as well as those characterised as ‘grooming gangs’.
“We have significantly strengthened our approach to identifying and investigating all forms of child sexual exploitation since 2022. This work has already led to a threefold increase in solved cases over the past year, with 134 additional suspects charged.
“We’ve expanded specialist teams and rolled out training to more than 11,000 officers on recognising CSE and 23,000 on trauma-informed communication. These changes are making a real difference, with positive outcomes for victims rising by 6.2%. Our commitment is clear: to safeguard victims, bring offenders to justice, and ensure every child is protected.”
The organisations delivering the new pan-London sexual violence support service said: “We know the life-long impact child sexual abuse and exploitation can have on survivors and the suffering caused when institutions fail to respond and protect children from perpetrators. All survivors deserve support, no matter when the abuse the occurred.
“In light of ongoing demands on our services, this additional funding will help resource our vital work providing information, advocacy and therapy to survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation in London.”
Claire Waxman OBE, London Victims’ Commissioner, said: “I welcome this new £2.4m fund from the Mayor which puts victims and survivors first. It will directly fund new Independent Sexual Violence Advocates and the vital work they do, alongside therapeutic care for victims and survivors of all ages who have experienced any form of sexual abuse.
“The national review and reinvestigations must mark a turning point in the quality and consistency of police work. But alongside that, it’s vital we enhance the provision of specialist support for survivors – as we are doing in London – so all those who have been impacted can come forward and receive the help, care and attention they deserve.”
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