Nigel Farage has demanded a probe into Britain's grooming gang scandal that spans 40 years. The Reform UK leader stated that the systematic rape and sexual abuse of thousands of white British girls, predominantly by groups of Pakistani men, “shames us as a country.”
Farage Calls for Accountability
Mr. Farage insisted that politicians, local police force commanders, and council leaders should be “held to account,” noting that “too few have.” Speaking to GB News, he said: “I would want to go back 40 years, to look at police reports, notes of meetings. I would like every piece of written information over 40 years to be published, redact the names to protect people if necessary.”
He emphasized institutional failure across social services, elected politicians, and police, which has persisted for decades. “I think there has been institutional failure from social services, from elected politicians, from police and it’s gone on for decade after decade,” he added.
Operation Beaconport Review
The first eight closed grooming gang cases have been referred back to police forces for reinvestigation as part of a national review. Operation Beaconport is examining cases between January 2010 and March 2025 involving two or more suspects accused of sexual abuse who are still alive, victims of sexual offences with physical contact, cases not previously reviewed, and those where no further action was taken.
In November, 1,273 such investigations from 23 police forces were referred to the National Crime Agency (NCA), with 236 prioritized due to allegations of rape. The NCA stated that reviews have identified closed cases from eight force areas with viable lines of inquiry, directing forces to reopen them.
Political and Public Reaction
Farage criticized the ongoing denial in London, saying, “More and more evidence coming out this was happening in London amidst an absolute denial from the Mayor. People have to be held to account.” He described the scandal as an appalling shame for the country.
NCA Director General Graeme Biggar called Operation Beaconport “the most comprehensive and complex investigation into child sexual exploitation and abuse in UK history.” The review coincides with the one-year mark of Baroness Casey's national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation.
Baroness Louise Casey urged the government to quash convictions of victims who were criminalized when they should have been protected. Home Office minister Natalie Fleet, a survivor of grooming, pledged to bring perpetrators to justice, stating, “Victims and survivors were repeatedly let down by the very institutions meant to keep them safe.”
