A grim political story: a UK politician says child sexual abuse by certain immigrant-origin gangs has been hidden for years, and that officials still refuse to confront it.

• Rupert Lowe estimates over 250,000 mostly white girls were abused by grooming gangs, calling the figure a conservative minimum.
• The official label "Asian grooming gangs" is rejected as a cover that blurs who is actually responsible — mainly men from parts of Pakistan.
• The abuse is tied to a hateful ideology that treats non-Muslim girls as worthless and "asking for it," with lying to protect the clan seen as acceptable.
• Many abusers never went to jail, and some victims say police officers themselves were involved, so the abuse kept spreading.
• The same crimes would bring execution in Pakistan, but weak UK justice meant little punishment here.

Outlook: Lowe wants a public debate British officials keep avoiding, and hopes US attention will pressure the UK to finally confront it.