Sir Keir Starmer has accused Kemi Badenoch of “lies” because the Conservative chief known as for a nationwide inquiry into “rape gangs”.
Ms Badenoch used the primary Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) of 2025 to proceed to push the federal government to hold out a brand new nationwide inquiry into the historic grooming gangs scandal, which she known as the “rape gang” scandal.
The Tory chief argued the earlier inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay, revealed in 2022, couldn’t consider “thousands more victims” that proceed to be focused, so stated a brand new inquiry is required.
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“There have been thousands more victims but no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture and it is almost certainly still going on,” she stated.
“This is one of the worst scandals in British history.”
The Conservatives tabled an modification to the Kids’s Safeguarding and Faculties Invoice, being debated after PMQs, to require a statutory inquiry into grooming gangs – which Labour says might kill the complete invoice.
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‘Nothing is off the desk’
Forward of that debate, Sir Keir stated: “We have to focus on the victims and survivors.
“It is not useful. These kind of lies and misinformation and slinging of mud would not assist them one bit.”
The prime minister spoke to victims this morning and stated they’re involved one other inquiry would delay any motion happening to stop abuse.
Ms Badenoch stated a sufferer from Telford had advised her she needed a brand new inquiry “because it will hold people accountable in a way that previous inquiries have not”, comparable to the facility to summon witnesses and make them give proof underneath oath.
Sir Keir stated a brand new inquiry would delay implementing Professor Jay’s suggestions “until 2031”.
He accused the Conservatives of failing to implement any of the 2022 suggestions, including: “They’ve been tweeting and talking. We’ve been acting.”
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The primary PMQs of 2025 targeted on grooming gangs
The prime minister stated one other inquiry mustn’t occur, nonetheless, his official spokesman stated if victims come to the federal government asking for an additional inquiry they might take a look at it.
“If the victims come forward to me in this victims panel and they say, ‘actually, we think there needs to be a national inquiry into this’, I’ll listen to them,” she stated.
The grooming gangs scandal got here again into the headlines final week after it emerged Ms Phillips had rejected calls from Oldham Council for a authorities inquiry into grooming gangs within the city and stated the council ought to perform one as an alternative.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has been utilizing his social media platform X to assault Sir Keir and Ms Phillips since then, and has known as for a nationwide inquiry.
