The father of a grooming gangs abuse survivor has told GB News that he does not have faith in the Labour Government’s approach to tackle the abusers.
Marlon West has regularly met with Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, in his attempts to force change.
But the frustrated father has now told GB News that he believed Labour was not ready to take the necessary steps to confront the rape gangs.
In the minutes of a meeting held with Phillips in November, seen exclusively by GB News, it says that West “raised the potential creation of one national strategy that brings together the vast number of services involved and has one clear person in charge”.
The father told GB News that he believed Labour was not ready to take the necessary steps to confront the rape gangs.
GB News
But the minutes continued: “The Minister explained the challenges we are facing with ownership and progression of the IICSA [the Independent Inquiry to Child Sexual Abuse] recommendations, but that she will be using everything in her power to push this forward with other departments.”
The fighting father told The People’s Channel that, contrary to these minutes, he had gone to Westminster to meet with the minister to argue for a national public inquiry, not just a “national strategy.”
West said that the IICSA recommendations were insufficient and that a full inquiry that covers all of the towns with credible reports of abuse gangs is needed to rout out this scandal.
He added that Phillips downplayed the need for a national inquiry during his meetings with her.
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He spoke exclusively to GB News
GB News
West told GB News that he feels as if he can “no longer trust Labour” with the crisis and branded the current investigation “whitewashing”.
He said: “The independent inquiries are not worth the paper that they are written on. I’ve been campaigning now for nearly two years for a national public inquiry.
“The reason why the independent inquiries are not particularly very helpful is to do with the recommendations at the end, they’re not enforceable.
“The other thing is they just skim over it. They don’t look, they don’t dissect the cases.
Marlon West stated that he does not “trust” any Labour ministers anymore
GB News
He explained: “I don’t trust any of the Labour ministers now. I am so disappointed.
“Their attitude was so different before they came into power. Now I feel as if I’ve had a lot of false promises. I have no encouragement in any of the MPs today.”
He added: “If I could, I would get on my hands and knees and beg them to reconsider and support myself and other families and survivors.
“To open up a national public inquiry. Because how many independent inquiries are we going to have? There are a waste of taxpayers money.”
Marlon’s daughter Scarlett has endured abuse and exploitation several times, including in Greater Manchester in recent years.
There have still been no convictions for anyone associated with her abuse.
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
