Following the visit from the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary in Rochdale, local MP, Tony Lloyd, said, “The work done by Children’s Services in Rochdale, the local police and other agencies to protect young girls and boys from grooming deserves the congratulations of government ministers.

“What we’ve not seen is the determined effort by government to play its part. It’s years since the government was told they needed to set up a task force but it didn’t happen.

“The present Home Secretary and her predecessors have been told by me directly to deal with grooming gangs properly and that includes strong sentences, but it’s also worth pointing out that I’ve been urging different Home Secretaries over the years where appropriate to deport those who served sentences.

“That’s why the time for cheap talk, again from the Home Secretary, is not enough. We need to see real action.”

—Ends—