The scandal around "grooming gangs" in the UK has dominated the political scene over the last few weeks.
On Wednesday (8th of January) MPs rejected a Conservative bid to push for another national inquiry into grooming gangs by 364 votes to 111.
Following the vote Hitchin MP, Alistair Strathern, explained his thinking on the subject in a video on Facebook and in conversations with those who engaged with the post.
He said that "any instance of child sexual exploitation is as sickening as it is a collective failure on us all, and the grooming scandal is a clear national shame that we should all be united in refusing to minimise or excuse".
"On a topic as serious of this I will always be keeping an open mind, it would never be a case of blindly following a 'party line'. There are very valid arguments for and against now being the right time for a further national enquiry, and reasonable people can and should disagree about the best course of action".
"It's important to note though that victims themselves are divided about whether a further enquiry would be welcome. Moreover, independent experts from the chair of the independent inquiry and the heroic journalist Andrew Norfolk who helped uncover the scandal believing a further inquiry at this time wouldn't help the victims and would delay action. That's why I decided on balance to prioritise action at this stage".
"I'm not wedded against the idea of a national enquiry, and others will have valid reasons for disagreeing with my view, but it's important to be clear this wasn't a vote about whether to hold people accountable and deliver justice for these sickening crimes, but how best to do so. However, where others seek to vocally make the case for a further inquiry, despite previously being in Government and failing to deliver or call for one, have failed to engage l the victims or deliver the recommendations of the previous inquiry, people across the country will make their own minds up as to their true motivations"
