Grooming Gangs in London: Met Police May Reopen Thousands of Cases

Sadiq Khan's Denials and the Backlash

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has repeatedly downplayed the existence of grooming gangs in the capital in terms familiar from scandals in Rochdale, Rotherham and elsewhere. In responses to questions at the London Assembly, Khan described the situation in London as “different to other parts of the country”, emphasizing grooming linked to county lines drug dealing rather than the organized “rape gangs” seen in northern towns. He stated there was “no indication” of such gangs operating in London and echoed senior police advice on the matter.

Khan maintained that while there were issues with young girls being groomed for county lines, some of whom were sexually exploited, the problem did not match the profile elsewhere. He pointed to initiatives such as the Lighthouse service, four support hubs for survivors, the Violence and Exploitation Support Service and increased Met resources including 1,200 child protection officers and Operation Soteria.

Critics, including Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall, accused Khan of gaslighting victims and engaging in denial. Hall described his responses as “utterly disgraceful” and likened extracting information to “getting blood out of a stone”. A grooming gang survivor known as “Girl One” from the Oxford scandal publicly rebuked Khan, accusing him of living “under a rock” and willfully ignoring cross-country exploitation networks that reach London.

Following the announcement that more than 4,000 previously closed cases could now be reopened, Hall's criticism gained renewed attention.

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Daily Express Investigations Expose the Reality on the Ground

The Daily Express, through its investigations editor Zak Garner-Purkis, has conducted extensive on-the-ground reporting into grooming gangs operating in London. In June 2026, Garner-Purkis appeared before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee alongside journalists from the BBC, GB News and the Evening Standard. He presented findings showing that grooming and group-based sexual exploitation are active in the capital today.

His team's reporting documented how gangs target vulnerable children, including those in care homes, described as a “terrifyingly massive" problem. Victims are often plied with drugs and alcohol, groomed via social media such as Snapchat and trafficked between locations, including for county lines drug operations. Abuse occurs in private homes, hotels and above commercial premises, sometimes with the knowledge of family members. Perpetrators come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, reflecting London's multicultural makeup, though networks frequently involve coordinated groups.

Garner-Purkis told the committee: “It is happening right now. All of you have children in your wards who are affected by this.” He directly criticized institutional evasiveness: “Because there has been a denial from the very top, from the Mayor of London, from the head of the Met Police, from the councils themselves, we’ve ended up in a situation where these gangs don’t go away. They keep doing what they’re doing.”

The Express investigations highlighted a lack of transparency, noting that many cases only surface publicly when a child dies. Historical examples included a 2002 child prostitution ring in Islington with no convictions and a 2012 case involving a young woman's suicide after prolonged abuse, where police failings were later exposed. The reporting contributed to the London Assembly launching its own probe into the issue.

Charlie Peters and GB News Investigations

GB News national reporter Charlie Peters has been one of the most persistent journalists covering grooming gangs across the UK, including their operations in and around London. In his documentary Grooming Gangs: Britain's Shame and subsequent reporting, Peters has spoken directly with victims and highlighted missed investigative opportunities by police.

Peters addressed the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, presenting evidence that grooming gang activity and associated trafficking routes into the capital have been documented but largely ignored. He has reported on networks that transport victims across the country and emphasized that “there is so much evidence about it happening, and it has been ignored”.

His work has informed broader discussions, including comments by figures such as Nigel Farage on trafficking routes used by grooming gangs to reach London. Peters has consistently argued that political sensitivities delayed proper recognition of organized group-based exploitation, a pattern he says extends to the capital despite its distinct demographics.

London Selected for National Inquiry

The UK government’s national statutory inquiry into group-based child sexual exploitation has selected London as one of the first areas for dedicated local investigation. It will examine the issue alongside Oldham, Bradford and Keighley. The £65 million ($86 million) inquiry, chaired by Anne Longfield, aims to understand how children were targeted and why authorities failed to protect them.

Susan Hall welcomed the inclusion of London, stating that authorities including the Mayor must “face up to the fact" that extensive networks exist. MPs had earlier called for London to be specifically included, citing the Met's high volume of child sexual exploitation referrals. The inquiry will proceed even where local authorities might prefer alternative formats.

This marks a significant shift. Years of claims that London's problem was fundamentally different or minimal have been overtaken by police data, journalistic evidence and now a national-level examination.

The Met’s decision to revisit thousands of cases, combined with the national inquiry’s focus on London, represents a long-overdue reckoning. Victims and survivors who have waited years for justice may finally see renewed efforts. However, the scale revealed, thousands of potentially mishandled cases in one city alone, underscores deep institutional failures that persisted amid political reluctance to confront the issue head-on.

As the NCA reviews the flagged cases and the national inquiry begins its work in London, the capital faces uncomfortable questions about how organized child sexual exploitation was allowed to continue for so long. The priority now must be delivering justice for victims, regardless of past denials or distinctions drawn between different forms of exploitation. Only thorough, transparent investigations can begin to address the harm inflicted on thousands of children.