“Rotherham, Britain, and the children let down by those meant to protect them deserve nothing less than the full, unvarnished truth”

Sarah Champion has welcomed the announcement of Accountability Hearings as part of the Grooming Gangs Inquiry - and has revealed she is working closely with the Commissioners to ensure they “focus on the right areas and ask the right questions”.

The MP for Rotherham said the borough should have been an “alarm bell for the country” but “the same errors in judgement and attitude that clouded Rotherham’s response to Child Sexual Exploitation persisted across the country”.

placeholder image — Rotherham MP Sarah Champion | Iconic

A report into the scandal from Professor Alexis Jay, published in 2014, revealed how an estimated 1,400 children in the town were abused by grooming gangs - and were ignored by those who should have protected them.

Rotherham MP Sarah Champion was among the figures who called for the Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, which has now announced its first set of National Accountability Hearings.

The Grooming Gangs inquiry has announced details of a series of ‘accountability’ hearings, during which organisations and institutions will be asked to explain what steps they took to protect children from sexual exploitation | 3rd party

The hearings will build on Baroness Louise Casey's 2025 National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and examine why “lessons identified through previous inquiries, reviews, inspections and investigations too often failed to result in meaningful change”.

The opening phases are set to take place in London during the weeks of December 14, 2026 and January 11, 2027 and will focus on the experiences and perspectives of victims and survivors, with further hearings planned for March and April 2027.

Sarah Champion said: "The catastrophic mistakes and decisions that led to local institutions utterly failing to protect Rotherham children from appalling abuse are well known and understood.

“But I have always maintained that they are far from unique.

“I have no doubt that similar patterns existed, and likely continue to exist, across Britain.

“Rotherham should have been an alarm bell for the country - then Prime Minister Cameron even declared it a National Emergency.

“Yet the same errors in judgement and attitude that clouded Rotherham’s response to Child Sexual Exploitation persisted across the country.

“Lessons were not learned.

“If we are to ensure accountability for failures, to deliver meaningful improvement, and most importantly, keep our children safe, we must understand why.

“The Grooming Gangs Inquiry is a vital opportunity to do just that, and I welcome the Accountability Hearings that will soon get underway.

“I have been working with the Commissioners closely to make sure they focus on the right areas and ask the right questions.

“This is a massive investment of taxpayer's money. It has to have tangible outcomes.

“Rotherham, Britain, and the children let down by those meant to protect them deserve nothing less than the full, unvarnished truth."

Ms Champion's comments follow whistle-blower Jayne Senior who helped to expose the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham and also believes the national Grooming Gangs Inquiry could be another opportunity to “fight for answers for victims and survivors.”

Ms Senior has been awarded the status of 'Core Participant' status in the recently announced accountability hearings and told the Advertiser she is is entering the Inquiry committed to “doing everything within my power to ensure the voices of victims, survivors and their families are heard.”