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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Rotherham child abuse: Police commissioner quits Labour | Rotherham child abuse: Police commissioner quits Labour |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Under-pressure Shaun Wright has resigned from the Labour Party but insists he will remain police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire. | Under-pressure Shaun Wright has resigned from the Labour Party but insists he will remain police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire. |
| Mr Wright has faced calls to step down after a report on child abuse in Rotherham, where he managed children's services between 2005 and 2010. | Mr Wright has faced calls to step down after a report on child abuse in Rotherham, where he managed children's services between 2005 and 2010. |
| The report said at least 1,400 children in the town were sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013. | |
| A Labour MP now wants a possible misconduct case against Mr Wright. | A Labour MP now wants a possible misconduct case against Mr Wright. |
| In a statement Mr Wright said: "I formally tender my resignation from the Labour Party. | In a statement Mr Wright said: "I formally tender my resignation from the Labour Party. |
| "However, I remain committed to, and intend to remain in, my role as an Independent Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire." | "However, I remain committed to, and intend to remain in, my role as an Independent Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire." |
| Shadow policing minister Jack Dromey had earlier told the BBC Mr Wright would be suspended from the Labour Party if he had not resigned by Thursday morning. | |
| 'Reiterate my apology' | |
| Now Labour backbencher John Mann MP is to write to Home Secretary Theresa May asking for the police to investigate whether a case of misconduct in public office could be brought against Mr Wright and others involved in the allegations in Rotherham. | |
| Mr Mann said the inquiry should not be carried out by South Yorkshire Police, but by another force. | |
| However, Mr Wright has insisted he is the most appropriate person to hold the office of commissioner (PCC). | |
| "As a father, and a citizen of South Yorkshire, my thoughts are with the victims and their families and I reiterate my apology to them and take full responsibility for my part in the collective failures which took place at Rotherham Council during the time I was in office, and indeed to that end I resigned in 2010," he continued. | |
| "I stand by my earlier comments that I've taken that experience to deliver a major transformation in the way South Yorkshire Police deals with horrific crimes such as child sexual exploitation, and much progress has been made since I was elected as Commissioner in terms of supporting victims, taking preventive action, increasing awareness of the issue and bringing criminals to justice." | |
| Fears over racism | |
| However, Mrs May has said he should "heed calls" to resign, though stressed it was not her job to hire and fire PCCs. | |
| "I think he has real questions to answer," she said. | |
| Rotherham MP Sarah Champion has also called for Mr Wright's resignation, along with shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, shadow chancellor Ed Balls and shadow welfare minister Chris Bryant. | |
| A report commissioned by the council was published on Tuesday and revealed the massive level of abuse in Rotherham, mainly by Pakistani heritage criminal gangs. | |
| The inquiry team noted fears among council staff of being labelled "racist" if they focused on victims' descriptions of the majority of abusers as "Asian" men. |