PM announces full inquiry into grooming gangs after resisting calls for probe
Sir Keir Starmer will launch a statutory inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal after resisting calls for months to implement a full national 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.'
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The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer accused of U-turn after ordering inquiry into grooming gangs
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of a U-turn after committing to a statutory inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. After resisting pressure for months to implement a full 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. Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the move as a 'welcome U-turn', while Kemi Badenoch called on him to apologise for 'six wasted months'. '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,' she said. '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.' Speaking to reporters travelling with him on his visit to Canada, the Prime Minister said: '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.' The Times newspaper reported that the findings of Baroness Casey's review will be set out in Parliament on Monday. The inquiry will be able to compel witnesses to give evidence, and it is understood that it will be national in scope, co-ordinating a series of targeted local investigations. Prof Jay's 2022 report concluded there had been institutional failings across the country and tens of thousands of victims in England and Wales. A national row over grooming gangs was ignited in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his X social media platform to launch a barrage of attacks on 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. The Government later commissioned a 'rapid' audit by Lady Casey into the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, which had been due to take three months but was delayed.
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer in another U-turn with PM set to launch full national inquiry into grooming gangs after months of pressure - as Labour leader admits 'it's the right thing to do'
Sir Keir Starmer has revealed he will launch a full national inquiry into grooming gangs after resisting pressure for months. In a major U-turn, the Prime Minister said setting up a statutory investigation into the scandal was the 'right thing to do' despite previously insisting it would take too long and that local reviews were sufficient. He dramatically changed his mind after reading 'every single word' of the report he commissioned into the exploitation of thousands of girls across the country, due to be published next week, which is said to explicitly link it to men of Pakistani origin. The audit by Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey is understood to have recommended that a new national inquiry be established in order to look at the race of perpetrators. It is also expected to warn that white British girls who were exploited in towns across the country were 'institutionally ignored for fear of racism'. Speaking to reporters about Lady Casey's review, Sir Keir said: '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 start work, the PM replied: 'It will be statutory under the Inquiries Act. That will take a bit of time to sort out exactly how that works and we will set that out in an orderly way.' He insisted that he had never ruled out a national inquiry although he previously wanted to focus on implementing recommendations made in earlier reports. '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.' But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has repeatedly demanded the PM launch a full inquiry, said: 'Keir Starmer doesn't know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so. 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 this 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 apologise for six wasted months.' She went on: '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 10 years' time. Justice delayed is justice denied.' Since 2010 there have been a string of trials of grooming gang members for sexually exploiting young girls while landmark official inquiries into Rotherham, Telford and Rochdale have revealed the huge numbers of those abused. However demands for a new national inquiry began growing at the start of this year, fuelled by tech tycoon Elon Musk's attacks on the Government. Initially ministers said they wanted to focus on implementing recommendations from the wider Jay report into child sexual exploitation but under mounting pressure Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a series of new local probes in January as well as the audit by Lady Casey. The calls kept coming for a full national inquiry with former Reform MP Rupert Lowe vowing to set up his own investigation. Opposition leader Mrs Badenoch has raised the issue at Prime Minister's Questions, even suggesting the PM was 'dragging his heels' because he did not want 'Labour cover-ups exposed'. In January he told the Commons: 'There have been a number of inquiries, both national and local, including one covering Oldham. Reasonable people can agree or disagree on whether a further inquiry is necessary. 'This morning, I met some of the victims and survivors of this scandal. They were clear with me that they want action now, not the delay of a further inquiry. The Jay inquiry, the last national inquiry, was seven years. A further inquiry would take us to 2031. Action is what is required.'
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Starmer hints at revival of UK-Canada trade talks ahead of G7 summit
Britain and Canada will seek to revive stalled trade negotiations, Sir Keir Starmer has indicated ahead of a meeting with Mark Carney in the lead-up to a major international summit. The Prime Minister said the world's 'changing' economy means Britain must aim to reduce barriers with other allies as he flew to Ottawa for the first visit by a UK leader to the country in eight years. Negotiations between Britain and Canada on a post-Brexit trade agreement were halted last year under the previous Tory administration amid disputes over beef and cheese. The Government has reached economic deals 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 US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Sir Keir will be walking a diplomatic tightrope between strengthening bilateral relations with Ottawa and keeping the US president, who has expressed desires to annex the country as a '51st state', on side. Asked about the prospect of a trade agreement with Canada, the Prime Minister told reporters travelling with him to Ottawa on Saturday: 'I want to increase our trade with Canada and I will be discussing how we do so with Mark Carney. 'I have known Mark a long time, we are allies and colleagues and I have a very good relationship with him. We do a lot of trade with Canada as it is. 'Some months ago I said the world is changing on trade and the economy, just as it is changing on defence and security and I think that means we need to be more securing our base at home and turbo-charging what we are doing on the cost of living and at the same time reducing trade barriers with other countries. 'I've been expressing that in my discussions with Mark Carney and he is in the same position.' The Prime Minister said the interests of British citizens would be at the heart of his conversations with all international leaders as he prepares for a week of diplomacy at the G7 summit. The UK and Canada have a trade relationship worth £28 billion to the British economy and are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. 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 an agreed-upon 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.' Mr Carney has previously criticised the UK Government's invitation for Mr Trump to make a second state visit, telling Sky News earlier this year that Canadians were 'not impressed' by the gesture. In his strongest defence yet of the nation, Sir Keir said on Saturday he was 'absolutely clear' that Canada was an 'independent, sovereign country' and 'quite right too'. 'I'm not going to get into the precise conversations I've had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth,' he said. Sir Keir was greeted warmly by Mr Carney as he arrived at Rideau Cottage, the prime minister's official residence, for dinner on Saturday evening before the two leaders watched a game of ice hockey. 'Here he is,' the Canadian premier said, joking that he was 'as nervous as you when it's the Champions League' about the Stanley Cup final match between his beloved Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers. 'It's all going to work out,' Mr Carney said. 'The Oilers are going to win, it's going to be the best G7 ever.'
