'I'm a former police detective – I saw how politics enabled grooming gangs'
I'm a former police detective – I saw how politics let grooming gangs abuse children
Maggie Oliver is a detective-turned-whistleblower who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in late 2012 to expose the Rochdale grooming scandal
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Add us as preferred source Comments By Maggie Oliver 16:36, Fri, Jun 26, 2026 Updated: 17:00, Fri, Jun 26, 2026 
This week, the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs announced the first areas selected for local investigations: Oldham, Bradford, Keighley and London.
I pay tribute to the survivors who have lost years of their lives fighting for years to make this happen. Many waived their anonymity, relived deeply traumatic experiences and faced public criticism and trolling simply for speaking the truth – even from the Prime Minister, who labelled both them and me as “far-Right extremists” for simply speaking the truth.
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The inclusion of London is particularly significant. For too long, attention has focused on a handful of towns in the North, while the scale of offending and institutional failures in the capital has escaped the level of scrutiny they deserve.
Recent investigations by the Daily Express have shone a spotlight on those failures, exposing serious concerns and helping bring much-needed public attention to what has been happening in London. That increased scrutiny has been important, and I believe it has played a significant role in ensuring the capital can no longer be overlooked.
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But while some areas have been included, many others have not. That matters because this was never a problem confined to a handful of towns and cities. What happened was a national scandal. I know this from my 20 years of experience of listening to many harrowing stories.
At the heart of this are children. Children who should have been protected but were instead raped, exploited and abused while the very institutions responsible for their safety failed them. I have never accepted that these were simply mistakes or missed opportunities. What I witnessed throughout my policing career was a deliberate “wilful blindness” by police, social services, prosecutors, local authorities and successive governments.
In my view, concerns about political sensitivities and fear of rocking the multicultural boat too often took precedence over protecting vulnerable children. The consequences were catastrophic. Abuse was allowed to continue, perpetrators were not pursued with the urgency their crimes demanded, and organised networks were able to grow, expand and perfect their methods over many years.
The children who were failed paid the price. Many lost years of their lives to trauma, addiction, poor mental health and the devastating consequences of abuse that should never have been allowed to continue. That is unforgivable.
This is why ACCOUNTABILITY matters.
Not just institutional accountability hidden behind reports and apologies, but individual accountability. Institutions do not make decisions – people do. The children who were failed deserve to know who made the decisions that left them unprotected and why repeated warnings were ignored.
Many survivors are demanding criminal accountability. So am I. That is non-negotiable.
The Maggie Oliver Foundation will support this inquiry to the best of our ability because survivors deserve answers, and the truth must finally be exposed. But anyone familiar with my work knows that we will not pull our punches.
We will continue to speak honestly, challenge where challenge is needed, and fight to ensure survivors are properly heard, properly represented and equipped with the expert support needed to stand on an equal footing with the public institutions whose actions are under scrutiny.
We are currently leading a judicial review against the Government over its failure to implement the 20 recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. As Baroness Longfield states here, 800 recommendations from previous inquiries remain UNIMPLEMENTED, and that begs the question as to why we should embark on further inquiries if they are again to sit on a shelf.
The two issues are inseparable. If inquiries identify failures but governments ignore the recommendations, children remain at risk.
This inquiry must not simply document what happened. It must uncover why it happened, who was responsible, and ensure those responsible will finally be held to account. Ideally criminally. Most importantly, it must ensure that future generations of children are never failed in the same way again.
Maggie Oliver is a detective-turned-whistleblower who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in late 2012 to expose the Rochdale grooming scandal. She is the founder and chairwoman of The Maggie Oliver Foundation
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
