Lucy Allan MP demands Telford child sex exploitation inquiry in Parliament

Lucy Allan repeated her calls for an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in the town during a debate at Westminster Hall.

The Telford MP wants the Government to intervene and has made direct pleas to Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Speaking yesterday, she said: "Child sexual exploitation is a sensitive and difficult subject. I am grateful to have this opportunity to speak for the victims in my constituency.

"Telford has the highest recorded rate for child sex offences in the country and this rate has continued to increase.

"The House of Commons library shows that child sex offences in Telford are at 18.4 per 10,000 head of population – this is greater than in the higher profile places such as Rotherham and Rochdale. The average is 7.9.

"We know that this crime has gone on in Telford for over 20 years and we know it is still going on. I am raising this subject so we can better understand the causes, so we can break the silence that surrounds this issue and give victims the chance to be heard."

"We do need to find out what went wrong, what could have been done to prevent it, and to ensure that we learn the lessons of the past.

"We all want confidence in the authorities in Telford, who are tasked with the very difficult responsibility of protecting our young people, and which is why I have asked for an independent review of what happened in Telford.

"We need to be sure that we have put right mistakes, and that culture has changed."

Government minister Sarah Newton MP, responding to Ms Allan, said recent inspections had praised both the council and the police for the way it was tackling child sexual exploitation in the town.

She said: "If there is good evidence to show the council is failing, the Secretary of State can directly intervene.

"This is very much an action of last resort."