We recognise the importance of the wider story of grooming gangs and have frequently covered the issue. The Government is holding a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs – we have reported on the setting up of that inquiry, including the recent appointment of Baroness Anne Longfield as chair, and will cover its proceedings extensively. The government’s inquiry has the legal power to call witnesses and to require organisations to produce documents and records, meaning it is a more wide-ranging inquiry than Mr Lowe’s. 

We have limited resources and it is not possible to report on every story which is of interest to our audiences. We know that not everyone will agree with our choices of what to cover, or the prominence stories are given. Our news editors make these complex decisions based on their editorial merit and the other stories in the news that day. These decisions are made for editorial and practical reasons and should not be taken as indicative of bias.