Keir Starmer is to launch a statutory national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal, following months of mounting pressure over the issue.
The prime minister told journalists on the flight to the G7 in Canada that he had accepted the new recommendation from Louise Casey, who led the original review into the grooming gang scandal, which has hit communities all around the UK.
Sir Keir and Labour ministers, including Jess Phillips, the minister for domestic abuse, have faced criticism for previously refusing to commit to such an inquiry.
It was alleged that there had been a cover-up because many of those responsible for attacks, including rape, on white working class girls were of Pakistani ethnicity.
However, the prime minister insisted that there had not been a U-turn on the matter, instead saying he had been waiting for Dame Louise to complete her review.
He said: “From the start, I have always said that we should implement the recommendations [of Dame Louise’s report].
“I think there were 200 recommendations 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 reassured on the question of an inquiry. That’s why I asked Louise Casey, whom 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 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.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has met with victims and has been demanding an inquiry, lambasted Sir Keir over the delay. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, noted how Starmer had accused his party of being “far right” for asking for an inquiry.
Ms Badenoch claimed it was the latest U-turn after the winter fuel debacle when the government last week agreed to restore payments to nine million pensioners.
She 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.
“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.”
As well as the Tories and Reform UK demanding an inquiry, Labour MPs have also joined in exerting pressure.
On Friday, Rochdale Labour MP Paul Waugh renewed his demand for a national inquiry after the long-delayed conviction of a grooming gang of seven men from his constituency.
He said: “Whether national or local inquiries are deployed, both need statutory powers to compel witnesses before them.
“And they should follow the evidence, wherever it leads them. No political party, no council, no police officer, no social worker, no racial group should be exempt from the need to find the facts. We still need accountability for everything that went wrong.”
