Prime Minister Keir Starmer launches historic inquiry into grooming gangs as survivors break silence
British Prime Minister Sir
Keir Starmer
has announced a full statutory national inquiry into 'grooming gangs', following a scathing audit by Baroness Louise Casey. The move reverses months of hesitation and brings hope to survivors who say their suffering was swept aside for too long.
'What matters most is getting justice for the victims,' said Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, a key flashpoint in earlier grooming scandals. He welcomed Starmer's decision to back a statutory inquiry, which can compel witnesses and documents, ensuring inquiries are not stifled by local authorities.
Grooming gangs refer to groups of men, often operating in towns like Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford, who sexually abused and trafficked vulnerable girls, often over many years.
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Victims were groomed with attention, gifts, or alcohol, then exploited. Authorities repeatedly failed to act, with some fearing accusations of racism due to the ethnic background of many offenders. The scandal exposed deep
institutional neglect
and cultural taboos.
Fiona, a survivor from Bradford quoted by Sky News, said she still 'thinks it's shocking' how social services ignored her crying for help and even blamed her 'lifestyle choices'
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Why national inquiry now?
Public pressure intensified early this year when figures like
Elon Musk
highlighted the issue on
social media
, prompting renewed political scrutiny. Conservative and Reform UK figures called Starmer's stance a 'U‑turn,' notably Kemi Badenoch, who criticized the delay and demanded urgency
The Independent Inquiry into
Child Sexual Abuse
(IICSA) outlined hundreds of failings earlier in 2022, but its recommendations remain largely unimplemented. A local audit by Baroness Casey, completed recently, went further, finding a nationwide pattern of institutional indifference and embedded failures.
Starmer said he 'read every single word' of the audit and would implement Casey's call for a statutory investigation under the Inquiries Act. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will formally introduce the inquiry in Parliament next week, accompanied by Casey's full report.
What's next
The inquiry will coordinate both national and targeted local investigations, even in areas where local authorities might resist. This structured, legally empowered approach stands to uncover who failed, why, and how to prevent it again.
For survivors like Fiona, it's a long-awaited step toward justice and the chance for their voices to finally be heard.
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