Successive governments have attempted to hide the evidence of "unspeakable" crimes carried out by rape gangs, an MP has claimed. The staggering accusation comes ahead of the release of a report produced by an inquiry into child sexual exploitation across the country.

Rupert Lowe MP, who chaired the inquiry, said that the "mass rape of vulnerable young white girls across the country is a rotting stain on our nation’s history." He told the Daily Express that "the establishment has not only allowed this evil to fester, but so often actively enabled it", claiming they had done so "for decades".

According to the Restore Britain MP, the "true motivations have been hidden, and the scale of the rape has been concealed from the British people." He added that: "The influence of Islam has been swept away, with no acknowledgment of the role the religion played in these crimes."

The cross-party inquiry was established by Mr Lowe alongside Sammy Woodhouse, a survivor of abuse and activist. Conservative MPs Esther McVey and Nick Timothy serve on the panel alongside DUP MP Carla Lockhart.

Restore Britain says the report will now call on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to locate and repatriate those trafficked outside of the UK by such gangs.

Speaking at the release of the report Ms Woodhouse said: "I was fourteen years old when my abuse began. For years I was told it was my fault, that nobody would believe me, and that speaking out would only make things worse."

She added: "This inquiry exists because too many girls were told the same thing and too many people in positions of power chose to believe it. I want every survivor who reads this report to know that they were never the problem. The system was the problem. And we are not going to stop until that system is changed."

Sir Keir Starmer has launched an official inquiry into such gangs nationwide - having previously described those talking about it as "jumping on a bandwagon" and "amplifying" the demands of the far right.

Speaking at the time Sir Keir said he had commissioned a report by Dame Louise Casey to "double check" the issue and said he had "read it I agreed with her conclusion".