You can almost smell the panic. Every Left-wing activist and pundit is frantically trying to defend Labour’s refusal to hold a full national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

MPs voted down the Tories' proposal to launch a fresh inquiry last night - but the issue is not likely to go away.

Lawmakers in Britain have voted down an amendment to set up a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. The amendment was attached to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would have been killed had the vote passed.

Key figures including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, and Elon Musk, owner of social media site X, have called for a full national public inquiry into UK grooming gangs. But others – including Professor Alexis Jay who led a landmark inquiry into child sexual abuse – say a new inquiry would cause delays.

The amendment to Labour’s flagship Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill received 111 Ayes and 364 Noes, majority 253.

Labour MPs rejected a Tory demand for a new national inquiry into grooming gangs. The House of Commons opposed a call, fronted by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, for a fresh probe into historical child sexual exploitation.