Sir Keir Starmer has appeared to soften his opposition to a public inquiry into Britain’s grooming scandal as he admitted there was a difference of opinion among victims over whether it would be beneficial.
The issue has become a political storm after Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, used X, his social media platform, to launch a barrage of attacks at Starmer and Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister. The attacks came after the government rejected a request from Oldham council for a national investigation, in favour of a local one.
On Wednesday night the Conservatives tried to vote down the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill with an amendment calling for a grooming gangs inquiry. The amendment was voted down by 364 votes to 111.
The prime minister acknowledged that “reasonable people can agree or disagree on whether a further inquiry is necessary”, despite having earlier this week having hit out at politicians “calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far-right”.
Speaking at prime minister’s questions, Starmer said victims of child sexual exploitation had been “let down for a very long time by warped ideas about community relations and the protection of institutions”.
However, he insisted that bringing into force recommendations made by Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired the last inquiry into child abuse, would be of more help to victims.
He said: “This morning, I met some of the victims and survivors of this scandal. They were clear with me that they want action now, not the delay of a further inquiry. The Jay inquiry, the last national inquiry, was seven years. A further inquiry would take us to 2031. Action is what is required.”
He added: “This is a really serious issue and we must focus, obviously, on the victims and survivors. There’s no fixed view from the victims and survivors about a further national inquiry, there are mixed views. But there is a view, and I share this view, that what is needed now is action on what we already know.”
Starmer told MPs it was “shocking” that anyone would vote the bill down as it had “vital protections for the most vulnerable in our society”.
However, Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, said: “The prime minister called for nine inquiries in the last parliament. Does he not see that by resisting this one, people will start to worry about a cover-up?”
She urged the former director of public prosecutions to “be a leader, not a lawyer”. But Starmer accused her of “lies and misinformation and slinging of mud” and said: “I can’t recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry.”
Badenoch defended the Tory record on the issue in government and added: “I’ve raised it in speeches, I’ve raised it publicly. He knows that as a minister, I would not have been speaking on this specific issue — I was not a Home Office minister.”
Despite the defeat of the Tory amendment in the Commons, Downing Street appeared to leave the door open for a national inquiry if victims wanted one.
The prime minister’s spokesman said he was “open-minded” and would listen to victims, but that he did not personally believe a public inquiry would be “the best way to deliver them justice”.
The spokesman said: “Our position is that victims’ groups have told us that they do not want to see a national inquiry, that we therefore share that view that that would not be the best way to deliver them justice […] we’re not taking some sort of binary approach on this.”
Critics claim Starmer wants to avoid a national inquiry as it could put the focus on his time as director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013.
The prime minister has defended his record, pointing out that he brought the “first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang” and changed the approach to dealing with similar cases.
Phillips, who sat on the front bench during PMQs in what was seen as a show of support from Starmer, earlier said that “nothing is off the table” in dealing with the scandal.
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Devon and Cornwall police said on Monday that a 39-year-old man had been charged with three counts of sending malicious communications to Phillips and two other people.
Threats were allegedly sent to Phillips last week, after Musk said the minister “deserves to be in prison”.
Badenoch’s spokesman said the Conservative leader condemned abuse directed at Phillips but that she remained a fan of Musk. “Any abuse directed towards MPs is obviously disgraceful and should not happen, and as a black, Conservative woman, Kemi gets more than her fair share.”
Pressed whether Badenoch remained a fan of Musk, the spokesman said: “She is a fan of what he has done with his companies.”
Musk continued his attacks on the prime minister on Wednesday, and wrote on X: “Now why would Keir Starmtrooper order his own party to block such an inquiry? Because he is hiding terrible things. That is why.”
Meanwhile Labour accused the Conservatives of using the child sexual abuse scandal to raise funds for the party.
The Tories have launched a campaign website “demandaninquirynow.com” and sent out emails to supporters asking them to sign a petition on the site which calls for a national inquiry into child grooming. The party also includes a link for donations at the bottom of its email.
Starmer’s spokesman said: “The prime minister’s position is the same as Jess Phillips’, which is we are open of course and will always listen to what victims want in this case.
“What we have heard from our engagement with victims and survivors’ groups is they want to see action. That is why we are focused on following up the recommendations of Professor Alexis Jay and taking the actions we need to deliver justice.”
