Keighley and Bradford should be a focal point of the national grooming gangs inquiry because the scale of child sexual exploitation in the district could 'dwarf' that uncovered in Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and Oldham, an MP has told Parliament.
Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, used a Westminster Hall debate this week to claim Keighley and the wider Bradford district had been “ignored and abandoned” for decades and urged ministers to ensure the area is formally included in the inquiry’s work.
The MP's remarks coincide with the jailing of 15 rapists - mostly from Bradford - for a campaign of horrific sexual abuse against a teenager from Bradford.
What Moore told MPs
Mr Moore said victims and survivors in Keighley and across Bradford had fought “for years” to be heard and called for a full independent inquiry covering the whole district.
He warned that “heinous crimes” of child sexual exploitation and gang-related grooming “did happen and are happening right now” in the communities he represents, saying lives had been “shattered” and that those calling for justice had “far too often” been met with silence.
The MP pressed ministers directly, asking whether they would confirm that Keighley and the wider Bradford district will be among the local areas examined by Baroness Longfield’s national grooming gangs inquiry.
He questioned why Oldham was announced as part of the inquiry in January 2025 while Bradford is still waiting for clarity and said he feared the scale of offending across the district would dwarf that seen in towns and cities already subject to high-profile investigations.
Comparison with Rotherham and Rochdale
Mr Moore told MPs the Bradford district could be facing a bigger crisis than the scandals which unfolded in Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and Oldham.
He said Bradford had repeatedly been referenced in discussions around child sexual exploitation and alleged that many victims had been trafficked through the city, arguing that this made it essential for the district to be fully scrutinised as part of the national inquiry.
By setting Bradford alongside some of the most notorious exploitation cases of the past decade, his comments intensify pressure on both local agencies and central government to demonstrate that historic failings will not be repeated.
Call for wider funding and taxi focus
Former chief whip Sir Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, backed his neighbour and highlighted concerns about taxi networks operating across Bradford, Keighley and his own constituency.
He said properly analysing broader patterns of offending and potential links between areas “will require more funding” for the inquiry.
Mr Moore agreed, insisting the national investigation must not be “restricted” by its existing £65m budget if more communities need to be examined.
He said the review had to be “robust, transparent and open” and told ministers “no stone [should be] left unturned” when it comes to uncovering the full extent of grooming gang activity.
What happens next?
The Government has already set the terms of reference for the national grooming gangs inquiry, led by former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield, now Baroness Longfield.
However, ministers have not yet published a full list of all local areas to be investigated.
Mr Moore also asked whether additional money would be made available if the inquiry chair concludes that more councils and police force areas need to be brought into scope.
If Bradford is confirmed as one of those areas, the district could become the setting for one of the most significant – and sensitive – public reckonings over child sexual exploitation since Rotherham and Rochdale.
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