Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has called for a “rapid and focused” public inquiry into grooming gangs, insisting Labour “cannot be scared of the truth”.
Speaking on GB News, Philp argued that while the previous Conservative government had commissioned an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, it “did not go far enough”.
He pressed for a comprehensive investigation with powers to summon witnesses under oath and requisition documents.
The shadow home secretary emphasised the inquiry should be relatively swift while ensuring “the public deserve the truth, and most importantly, the victims, young and vulnerable, deserve the truth.”
Chris Philp called for a ‘rapid’ inquiry
GB NEWS
Philp outlined specific areas the inquiry should examine, including Sir Keir Starmer’s record as Director of Public Prosecutions.
He called for scrutiny of “mainly Labour or entirely Labour controlled councils who appear to have deliberately covered this up.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The shadow home secretary referenced claims by former Labour MP Simon Danczuk that he was instructed by the then Labour Party chair to avoid discussing the issue over concerns about losing Muslim votes.
“I don’t know what is motivating the Labour Party,” Philp told GB News. “All I know is they’ve made the wrong decision, and they should immediately reverse it.”
The comments come amid growing pressure over the handling of grooming gang investigations.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips recently rejected requests for a Home Office-led public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, stating it should be commissioned by the local council.
Chris Philp joined Camilla Tominey on GB News
GB NEWS
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said a full national inquiry into organised grooming gangs is “long overdue.”
“Trials have taken place all over the country in recent years but no one in authority has joined the dots,” Badenoch said.
Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has pledged his party would launch a national inquiry that would “leave no stone unturned” if elected to power.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, which published its final report in 2022, described child sexual abuse as an “epidemic that leaves tens of thousands of victims in its poisonous wake.”
The inquiry, led by Professor Alexis Jay, investigated abuse by organised groups following multiple convictions across the UK between 2010-2014.
Cases examined included those in Rotherham, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Rochdale and Bristol.
In November 2024, Professor Jay expressed frustration that none of the probe’s 20 recommendations had been implemented more than two years after its conclusion.
A Labour spokesman said the Government is “working at pace to implement the recommendations” in Professor Jay’s report.
