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Ministers have acknowledged the possibility of a new national inquiry into groom gangs after days of resisting the idea despite pressure from figures including tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Protection Secretary Jess Phillips told Sky News that “nothing has been agreed” when it comes to the scandal involving the sexual abuse of children by gangs in several English towns and cities.
Phillips said she would first hear from victims on a new panel to be set up by the government. “If victims come to me at this victims’ commission and say ‘actually, we think there should be a national inquiry into this’, I will listen to them,” she added.
Her comments come ahead of a vote on the inquiry, after the Conservative Party put the issue on the parliamentary agenda.
The opposition party submitted an amendment to the law on schools, which was debated on Wednesday afternoon. It was chosen by the Commons Speaker for inclusion in the vote.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, described it as a “destructive amendment” as it would block the passage of the bill if it was passed, and called on the Tories to withdraw it. Labor MPs will be whipped to vote against the amendment.
While the government’s sizeable majority in parliament means it is unlikely to pass, the vote will still open the way for opposition parties to release new social media ads drawing attention to individual MPs who voted against holding a new nationwide inquiry into the scandal.
A clip of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling for an inquiry during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday was re-Xed by Musk with the words “well said”.
During the session, Starmer acknowledged in the House of Commons that there was a legitimate range of views on the need for a new inquiry.
“This is a really serious issue and we need to focus, obviously, on the victims and the survivors,” he told lawmakers. “There is no fixed position from victims and survivors on a further national inquiry, there are mixed positions.”
Starmer warned that setting up a new inquiry could lead to further delays in dealing with the abuse. “The last investigation lasted seven years,” he said. “That will take us to 2031.”
But Downing Street later did not rule out the government authorizing a national inquiry. “As the Prime Minister said in the House of Representatives, reasonable people can agree or disagree about the merits of a national inquiry. . . clear message we received from victims and survivors. .. they want to see action and that is what the government is focused on.”
Starmer is “open-minded” about the investigation, it added.
Phillips hit back after Musk criticized her for rejecting calls from Oldham Council to carry out a government inquiry into gangs in the town. She said it would be more appropriate for it to be implemented by local authorities.
Ministers have repeatedly pointed to the seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay which revealed on 20 recommendations, none of which were implemented by the previous Tory government. This week Labor announced it was pushing ahead with several recommendations, including making grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual abuse.
Badenoch said on Wednesday that a national inquiry into groom groups was needed because “no one has connected the dots, no one has the final picture” and the scandal is “almost certainly still ongoing”.
She questioned Starmer about whether “the full extent of gang-rape activity” was known and argued that his resistance to a new inquiry would fuel “concerns about a cover-up” among voters.
Starmer hit back, accusing her of jumping in and saying “misinformation and mudslinging” had not helped victims.
