Sir Keir Starmer has accused Kemi Badenoch of “lies” as the Conservative leader called for a national inquiry into “rape gangs”.
Ms Badenoch used the first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) of 2025 to continue to push the government to carry out a new national inquiry into the historical grooming gangs scandal, which she called the “rape gang” scandal.
The Tory leader argued the previous inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay, published in 2022, could not take into account “thousands more victims” that continue to be targeted, so said a new inquiry is needed.
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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 said.
“This is one of the worst scandals in British history.”
The Conservatives tabled an amendment to the Children’s Safeguarding and Schools Bill, being debated after PMQs, to require a statutory inquiry into grooming gangs – which Labour says could kill the entire bill.
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‘Nothing is off the table’
Ahead of that debate, Sir Keir said: “We have to focus on the victims and survivors.
“It isn’t helpful. These sort of lies and misinformation and slinging of mud doesn’t help them one bit.”
The prime minister spoke to victims this morning and said they are concerned another inquiry would delay any action taking place to prevent abuse.
Ms Badenoch said a victim from Telford had told her she wanted a new inquiry “because it will hold people accountable in a way that previous inquiries have not”, such as the power to summon witnesses and make them give evidence under oath.
Sir Keir said a new inquiry would delay implementing Professor Jay’s recommendations “until 2031”.
He accused the Conservatives of failing to implement any of the 2022 recommendations, adding: “They’ve been tweeting and talking. We’ve been acting.”
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The first PMQs of 2025 focused on grooming gangs
The prime minister said another inquiry should not happen, however, his official spokesman said if victims come to the government asking for another inquiry they would look at it.
His admission came after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast “nothing is off the table” when dealing with the grooming gangs scandal.
“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 said.
The grooming gangs scandal came back into the headlines last week after it emerged Ms Phillips had rejected calls from Oldham Council for a government inquiry into grooming gangs in the town and said the council should carry out one instead.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has been using his social media platform X to attack Sir Keir and Ms Phillips since then, and has called for a national inquiry.