The first places to be investigated in a national independent inquiry into grooming gangs will be Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, and London.

The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, which will be chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, will compel individuals and institutions to explain what they "did or did not do to protect children from being sexually abused", the organisation said.

The review will also examine if changes have been made in places where there have been past reviews, such as Oxford and Rotherham.

Abuse survivor Fiona Goddard, who resigned from the inquiry in October 2025, said it had been "a long fight".

"Bradford has evaded inquiries for many, many years and it's time that the full truth about what happened comes out," she said.

Goddard left the panel over concerns that two of the shortlisted chairs had backgrounds in policing and social services.

Keighley and Ilkley Conservative MP Robbie Moore, who called on the government to include Bradford in the inquiry, said it marked "a significant turning point".

"This inquiry must seek the truth - however horrific it may be. And bring about justice to those who have been failed for far too long," he said.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan welcomed the inquiry's focus and called for "justice for every single victim".

"These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm," they said.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the announcement was a "huge step towards getting to the truth".

Amy Clowrey, director of Switalskis Solicitors in Wakefield, which represents some of the victims, said the women she supported had "repeatedly" been refused inquiries into safeguarding failings.

"These investigations mean the public will now find out the true scale of grooming and abuse and how badly our public bodies failed our children," she said.