The national grooming gangs inquiry must extend to Scotland, Kemi Badenoch has told GB News.
The Tory leader said that Scotland should be included in the probe after the SNP announced a review into abuse gangs last week.
The Scottish review has attracted criticism for lacking independence, while opposition figures have argued it does not mirror the audit conducted by Baroness Louise Casey in England and Wales earlier this year.
In a sit-down interview, Mrs Badenoch told GB News national reporter Charlie Peters: “The national inquiry should look at the whole of the UK.
“The fact that all this happening in Scotland is a review shows that the SNP is also not interested in looking at this properly.
“There’s only one party that is brave enough and competent enough to get this done. That’s the Conservatives.”
“And those who want to see this issue dealt with should work with us,” she invited.
Today, the Conservative leader unveiled her “alternative rape gangs inquiry” with a new focus on groomers’ religion and ethnicity on Monday.
Mrs Badenoch sat down with Charlie Peters ahead of her major announcement
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GB NEWS
The Tories laid out its own draft terms of reference for the national probe after accusing Labour of “dragging its feet” on the investigation.
Mrs Badenoch presented the proposals, which had been developed alongside abuse survivors, on Monday.
She also set out a timeline to assure victims that the inquiry will not “drag on”.
The Tories’ announcement has followed Holyrood’s promise to launch a national review on the operation of grooming gangs across Scotland.
It will be overseen by several independent bodies, including Care Inspectorate, the Inspectorate of Constabulary and Education, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
BRITAIN’S RAPE GANGS CRISIS – READ MORE:
Ms Goddard spoke alongside Mrs Badenoch this morning
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PA
Professor Alexis Jay has been appointed as Scotland’s national group on child sex abuse, which will advise whether there should be an inquiry into the scandal engulfing Britain.
Last month, grooming gang survivor Fiona Goddard, who had already spoken about the harrowing abuse she endured in Bradford, told GB News how these men had relatives that moved to Glasgow and Edinburgh where they “established ground”.
She told Charlie: “They would then use girls from Bradford and taxi drivers to transport drugs up to them. And then once we got there, things would obviously happen up there as well.
“And by men up there, I also know that they were doing it to children around the cities as well up there.
“I remember going up in a taxi to like a dingy terraced house, and it was like a shared occupancy house, and there were just loads of men in there.
She recalled how she saw men “bagging up drugs” while “girls sat around on the surface”.
After Holyrood announced it would launch the review, the Conservatives blasted the move and claimed it “does not go far enough”, demanding for a nationwide public inquiry.
If the review supports the move towards an inquiry, the investigation would be judge-led.
At the time of Ms Goddard’s claims, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “We fully recognise the devastating impacts such abuse has on victims and their families.
“That is why we formed the expert National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group which brings together key services and expert stakeholders including Police Scotland and Professor Alexis Jay to inform and improve our collective response to this horrendous form of abuse.”
Detective Superintendent Nicky McGovern added: “Officers from our National Child Abuse Investigation Unit work tirelessly to prevent children becoming victims, and we use all means at our disposal to track down offenders and ensure they are brought to justice.
“Following Baroness Casey’s report and recommendations, we are committed to identifyng any areas for improvement or further learning.
“We also work closely with policing colleagues across the UK, sharing best practice and learning to tackle all forms of criminal exploitation.”