In a televised address, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party would publish every government file on child‑rape grooming gangs and raise the National Crime Agency's annual budget from £100 million to £400 million. the pledge comes ahead of a June 18 by‑election in Makerfield, where the issue has become a political flashpoint.

£400 million budget boost for the NCA taskforce

Farage announced that the National Crime Agency’s dedicated grooming‑gang unit would see its funding quadruple to £400 million per year.. He argued that the current £100 million allocation “does not allow the NCA to adequately investigate perpetrators or the complicit officials who enabled them.” According to the Reform UK statement, the extra money would fund more detectives, forensic analysts and outreach officers in areas he described as “often controlled by the left‑wing Labour Party.”

Release of 40‑year‑old files within 100 days

The party vows to make all public‑body records on grooming gangs available within the first 100 days of taking power. Farage claimed the files stretch back four decades and would expose “a conspiracy of silence” involving local authorities, police and media. He cited ongoing exploitation in Wigan and Makerfield as proof that “state‑enabled child sexual exploitation continues to this day.”

Political battle lines: Farage vs. Andy Burnham

Reform UK is positioning the grooming‑gang scandal as a test of Labour’s competence, especially for Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham. Burnham’s office responded that he has “always been clear that the young women were seriously harmed” and that he called for a national inquiry before it became politically convenient. The mayor’s spokesperson added that his administration had “vindicaetd whistleblowers, exposed institutional cover‑ups and led to arrests and convictions.”

Makerfield by‑election becomes a referendum on child‑exploitation policy

The upcoming special election on June 18 in the Makerfield constituency is expected to be the first test of Reform UK’s grooming‑gang platform. Analysts note that the area has seen high‑profile cases and that local sentiment may swing toward parties promising decisive action. If Reform UK captures the seat, it could pressure the national government to adopt its proposals, even without a parliamentary majority.

Who still holds the missing pieces?

While Farage promises a full disclosure, the exact scope of undisclosed material remains unclear. No independent audit has been announced to verify the existence of 40‑year‑old files, and the NCA has not confirmed the feasibility of a £400 million budget increase. Moreover, critics argue that releasing raw files without context could jeopardise ongoing investigations and victim privacy.

According to the Reform UK release, the plan is to “publish all files held by public bodies relating to the grooming gangs, going back 40 years, within the first 100 days in office .” As the debate intensifies, both parties will likely use the issue to rally their bases while awaiting concrete evidence of the promised reforms.