PM announces full inquiry into grooming gangs after resisting calls for probe
The Prime Minister said he had read 'every single word' of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation.
The Government has for months held off launching a statutory probe, saying its focus was on implementing the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay, which found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales.
But speaking to reporters travelling with him on his visit to Canada, the Prime Minister said: 'From the start I have always said that we should implement the recommendations we have got because we have got many other recommendations… I think there are 200 when you take all of the reviews that have gone on at every level and we have got to get on with implementing them.
'I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit.
'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on.
'She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen.
'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.
'I asked her to do that job to double check on this; she has done that job for me and having read her report, I respect her in any event. I shall now implement her recommendations.'
Asked when it would be launched, Sir Keir said the inquiry would be implemented under the Inquiries Act, which will take 'a bit of time to sort out' and would be done in 'an orderly way'.
The issue of grooming gangs was thrown back into the spotlight after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his X social media platform to launch a barrage of attacks on Prime Minister Sir Keir and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.
It followed the Government's decision to decline a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has repeatedly attacked Sir Keir over his resistance to another national probe, said the Prime Minister had to be 'led by the nose to make the correct decision'.
'Keir Starmer doesn't know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so,' she said.
'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to U-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here.
'I've been repeatedly calling for a full National Inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months.
'But this must not be the end of the matter. There are many, many more questions that need answering to ensure this inquiry is done properly and quickly.
'Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening, but they need a resolution soon not in several years' time. Justice delayed is justice denied.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Canada agrees to ratify Britain's accession to major trans-Pacific trade pact
Ottawa will seek to introduce legislation to its parliament this autumn to approve Britain's entry to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The UK joined the bloc in 2024, but Canada is yet to formally endorse its membership – meaning British exports to the country are not covered by the reduction in tariffs outlined in the pact. Following a bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister and his Canadian counterpart in Ottawa's Parliament Hill on Sunday, Downing Street said the move would bring 'huge benefits' to UK businesses. Ahead of the @G7, Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer and I are meeting in Ottawa to discuss how Canada and the United Kingdom can work more closely together — to expand trade, create more opportunities for our workers and businesses, and strengthen transatlantic security. — Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) June 15, 2025 The two leaders will also look to work through sticking points in a rollover British-Canadian trade deal after negotiations were suspended under the previous Tory government amid disputes over beef and cheese. Number 10 said a 'joint taskforce' would be set up to 'turbocharge progress on other areas of mutual benefit, including technology and artificial intelligence – in support of shared growth and our national security'. 'The taskforce will also look to make progress on the wider UK-Canada Free Trade Agreement,' Downing Street said. Mr Carney's office said they had also agreed on a partnership to strengthen collaboration on AI safety between the Canadian AI Safety Institute and the UK AI Security Institute. UK-Canada trade talks snagged before the election last year amid concerns among Canadian farmers over a UK ban on hormone-treated beef and import levies hiked on British cheese. But Downing Street said on Sunday that the Government's 'red lines' on food standards, which remain in place under its recently-agreed trade deal with the US, would not shift. The Government has reached economic agreements with India, the US and the EU in recent months and is looking to pursue further deals with other allies to mitigate the threat of Donald Trump's tariffs. The talks between Sir Keir and Mr Carney, which followed a private dinner on Saturday evening and a pint in an Ottawa pub where the pair watched a game of ice hockey, are a clear show of support from the UK premier ahead of the G7 summit in Kananaskis next week. Fantastic to find a British pint in Ottawa. Meeting Brits abroad, while delivering for people back home. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 15, 2025 The Prime Minister will be walking a diplomatic tightrope in the coming days as he seeks to strengthen bilateral relations with Canada while keeping the US president, who has repeatedly threatened to annex the country, on side. In warm words at the top of Sunday's meeting, Sir Keir appeared to issue a veiled challenge to Mr Trump's call to turn the nation into a '51st state'. 'For years, we've worked together as Commonwealth members, as independent, democratic sovereign countries, working alongside each other on issues of security, defence, trade, the economy, you name it,' he said. 'We think alike, we work alike, and I think that's not just a reflection on the past. I think it is very much needed in the here and now and how I think we can forge our future together as we go forward.' Mr Carney said the UK and Canada shared a 'foundation of prosperity' which would be built on in the future, including through developments in AI. 'It is a great pleasure, and I think entirely appropriate that my first official bilateral in Canada with a head of government is with Prime Minister Starmer,' he said. 'Canada and the United Kingdom, of course, share history – we share values, we share governance. 'We are a parliament inspired by the Westminster tradition, but it's much, much more than a heritage. 'This is a foundation of prosperity for all our citizens going forward, and a prosperity based on those shared values, expressed through the future – artificial intelligence, critical minerals, new partnerships in security and defence, but all in pursuit of sustainable prosperity for our citizens. 'And if I may, just on a personal level, I've learned a lot from the Prime Minister over the years. I'm a great admirer of his and the values that he's bringing to bear, to his government and… internationally.' Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney (PA) Sir Keir will fly from Ottawa to Kananaskis in the Canadian mountains for talks with counterparts from the world's leading economies. Spiralling conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine will be top of the agenda in the talks between the UK, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan and Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend. Number 10 said the Prime Minister would use the trip to urge 'restraint and de-escalation' after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel overnight. 'In these dangerous times, I am determined to forge a unique path to secure and renew Britain in an era of global instability,' he said. Sir Keir is also expected to meet Mr Trump, with whom he said he is in the 'final stages' of completing a US-UK trade deal, at the G7 summit. The Prime Minister told reporters on Saturday he had a 'good relationship' with the US president and 'that's important'. 'I've been saying, for probably the best part of six months now, we're in a new era of defence and security, a new era for trade and the economy,' he said. 'And I think it's really important for Britain to play a leading part in that, and that's what I'll be doing at the G7, talking to all of our partners in a constructive way. 'And I'm very pleased that I have developed good relations with all the G7 leaders to the point where… I have a very good relations with all of them.'
Channel 4
2 hours ago
- Channel 4
Starmer announces full national inquiry into grooming gangs
The Prime Minister has announced a full national inquiry into grooming gangs. Keir Starmer said it was after reading a review by Baroness Louise Casey. But it's a significant u-turn from his position earlier in the year, when he resisted pressure from the Conservatives, Reform and even Elon Musk
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Leading players urge Labor to tighten rules for cashed-up political lobbyists
Leading lobbyists are urging the federal government to strengthen investigative powers and penalties to crack down on rogue operators, including through new laws that would add corporate interests to a transparency register. The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, told Guardian Australia this week that the party would use its balance of power position to push for tougher rules on the cashed-up lobbying industry in the new parliament, calling current rules 'really weak and effectively nonexistent'. The attorney general's department administers a transparency register, but it only covers paid third-party lobbyists and their clients. Lobbyists employed internally by corporations and interest groups are not required to sign up. A parliamentary report in 2024 found as much as 80% of the industry was not required to adhere to transparency rules. Worse, breaches of the associated lobbying code of conduct are not made public. The department said the number of breaches has been increasing in recent years, but how bureaucrats dealt with them was not made public. Andrew Cox, the president of industry peak body the Australian Professional Government Relations Association, said tougher rules and bigger penalties were needed. Cox said the department 'should have more robust powers to investigate and punish those who engage in unregistered lobbying' and that 'there should be meaningful consequences for breaching the government's code of conduct'. 'We support transparency where measures seeking to achieve it … do not unreasonably add to the administrative burden or create a chilling effect on the roles of government relations practitioners.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The powerful New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption warned a federal parliamentary inquiry that unregulated lobbying allows private interests 'to exert undue influence over official decision-making, while diminishing trust in government and increasing the risk of corruption'. One influential lobbyist who declined to be named so they could speak freely warned that a small number of players exaggerated their influence and access in Canberra. 'There are a small number of third-party lobbyists who like to pretend the only way to talk to government is through them. That's bullshit – that's greasy and it's gross,' they said. 'Staffers and ministers see through them, and they're not taken seriously.' They said lobbyists 'who understand how government works can be incredibly valuable to the government and to business'. The managing director of Hawker Britton, Simon Banks, said the rules should be strengthened. 'At the moment, at the commonwealth level, we have an administrative scheme. We would support a legislative scheme that makes sure there are clear rules and standards but also a legal mechanism to enforce them. 'The arrangements currently in place only apply to third-party lobbyists. I don't see why the general standards enforced by a code of conduct should apply to me but not someone who is in there lobbying on behalf of an organisation [they work for].' The code of conduct was designed to govern contact between lobbyists and government representatives, and promote 'transparency, integrity and honesty'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion A growing group of MPs support changes to access rules at Parliament House. In mid-2024, there were more than 2,050 sponsored passes for the building, an unknown share of which were held by paid lobbyists. The inquiry warned there was no interaction between the lobbyist register and the pass approval system, despite access being an important tool for the industry. Banks said pass holders' names should be made public, along with MPs who sponsor them. 'I actually think if you disclose the full range of people who have their passes, you'd find there is a broader range of people who can access this building,' Banks said. Ben Oquist, a director at lobbying firm DPG Advisory Solutions, said stronger rules would benefit the industry. 'Businesses, NGOs and the public should all have the chance to engage with government and share their views or concerns, including with professional help,' Oquist said. 'Lobbying can play an important role in this democratic process. Lobbying can indeed be good. When done right, it can help shape better public policy outcomes. But if the industry does not live up to community expectations, it risks losing all public trust. 'That is why a strong, transparent and loophole-free regulatory regime would be good for everyone.' The Kooyong MP, Monique Ryan, linked powerful lobbying to Labor's controversial approval of Woodside's North West Shelf gas project out to 2070 last month. She said more transparency was badly needed. 'Fossil fuel industry lobbyists do not deserve more influence than our constituents,' she said. 'We deserve to know who is roaming the halls of parliament – and we should know when our ministers and senior public servants meet with them. We should open ministerial diaries in real time, and we must extend, reform and enforce the lobbyists' code of conduct. 'We have to close the revolving doors between ministerial and senior public service roles and the industries over which they have influence.'
