The Tables Are Turning: UK PM Under Pressure as Labour MPs Back Rape Gang Inquiry

Over a thousand young English girls were raped by Pakistani Muslims but it would be "racist" to hold an enquiry into who was responsible for the coverup.

From The European Conservative

By Nick Hallett

Representatives of towns overshadowed by the grooming scandal demand a national investigation to uncover the full extent of sexual abuse and official cover-ups.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure to reverse his stance on a full public inquiry into Pakistani rape gangs, as Labour MPs have started to break ranks by demanding a thorough investigation into the failings of authorities in handling the issue.

Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham—one of the towns that experienced substantial levels of abuse—has called for a national inquiry to restore public trust in local councils and law enforcement. She emphasised that only a full investigation into these systemic failures could properly address the magnitude of the problem.

Champion’s demand marks a notable shift, as only recently she supported Starmer’s decision to reject an inquiry, claiming that it would delay justice for too long. Her apparent change of heart is consistent with her long-term concerns with the crime, which got her shunned as a ‘racist’ in Labour Party circles. It came just hours after Paul Waugh, the Labour MP for Rochdale—another town affected by rape gangs—also backed a national inquiry, highlighting the need for victim-led investigations that would not interfere with ongoing criminal cases.

The growing calls for a national inquiry come amid renewed media attention following the revelation that Jess Phillips, the government’s safeguarding minister, had turned down requests for a national inquiry into rape gangs in Oldham, which would have the power to compel witness testimony. Critics, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, have speculated that this move was an attempt to shield Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, from scrutiny over his handling of past cases.

Some, like commentator Douglas Murray, argue that further inquiries would be ineffective and that immediate action, including harsher penalties and greater accountability for public officials, would bring more immediate change. However, others say that, regardless of the results, Labour’s refusal to even consider an inquiry suggests they are indifferent to the victims of these heinous crimes. Opponents of a new national inquiry point to the existing Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) starting in 2015. Yet this wide-ranging endeavour barely touched on the issue of so-called grooming gangs.

Like parts of IICSA itself, the Labour leadership has been widely criticised as prioritising political correctness over justice. Starmer’s decision to block the inquiry has led to claims of betrayal from victims’ advocates, who accuse the party of disregarding the suffering of working-class communities—not least the young girls in them—caught up in grooming gangs led by Pakistani-heritage men. 

Reports detailing the abuse of young girls in Rotherham, Rochdale, and other towns have revealed that hundreds of perpetrators evaded justice for years, with local authorities and police failing to investigate for fear of being accused of racism. In Rotherham alone, over 1,400 girls were abused between 1997 and 2013, many by British-Pakistani men.

Despite some convictions, the full extent of the scandal remains largely unaddressed, and the issue of rape gangs will continue to cast a long shadow over British politics.