Starmer begins long-stalled UK grooming gangs inquiry
(MENAFN) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a nationwide inquiry into how authorities dealt with the grooming gangs scandal — a dramatic policy reversal after his government previously dismissed calls for further action.
The gangs, predominantly composed of British-Pakistani men, sexually abused and exploited vulnerable girls across the UK for years. At the outset of this year, the government insisted a new inquiry was unnecessary, arguing the matter had already been adequately investigated during a seven-year inquiry.
But speaking to journalists on Sunday, just before the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer insisted, “I’ve never said we shouldn’t reassess any issue.”
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has now been directed to lead a nationwide effort to reopen historic cases of group-related child sex abuse and pursue suspects who previously avoided justice. The aim is to bring perpetrators to trial and provide a measure of justice to victims who were failed by the system.
The scandal came back into the public view in January after Elon Musk accused Starmer of failing to protect children during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, alleging a cover-up by the authorities.
Hundreds of cases — more than 800 — have been reopened, and authorities will coordinate investigations across police, specialized teams, and local authorities. The inquiry, empowered by the 2005 Inquiries Act, will be able to summon testimony and direct investigations into cases where complaints were ignored or dismissed.
The move has been welcomed by some political figures, although Nigel Farage called for vigilance to avoid a “whitewash.” Rupert Lowe insisted the inquiry might not have been called without Musk’s intervention, and Musk responded by posting a simple heart emoji in approval.
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