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MoJ Pauses Archive Deletion Amid Grooming Gangs Concerns

2/19/2026

36 8 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) paused deletion of the Courtsdesk archive after Labour's pressure, preserving data on 25,118 grooming gangs cases, with Rochdale identified as a hotspot.
MoJ officials invited Courtsdesk to discuss licensing to retain the data.
Conservative MP Katie Lam warned deleting the archive would hinder the national inquiry into grooming gangs.
The MoJ plans to expand access to court information via an online portal by end of March.

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Story summary

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) paused deletion of the Courtsdesk archive after Labour's pressure, preserving data on 25,118 grooming gangs cases, with Rochdale identified as a hotspot.
MoJ officials invited Courtsdesk to discuss licensing to retain the data.
Conservative MP Katie Lam warned deleting the archive would hinder the national inquiry into grooming gangs.
The MoJ plans to expand access to court information via an online portal by end of March.