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UK ministers have acknowledged the possibility of a new investigation into gangs after days of opposition to the idea despite pressure from figures including tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Defense Minister Jess Phillips told Sky News there was “nothing wrong” when faced with allegations of child sexual abuse by gangs in several cities and towns across England.
Phillips said he would listen to victims first on a new panel set up by the government. “If the victims come before me in this group of victims and say, 'really, we think there should be a national investigation into this, I will listen,'” he added.
His comments come ahead of a vote on the inquiry, after the issue was forced onto the Parliamentary agenda by the Conservative Party.
The opposition party presented an amendment to the schools law being discussed on Wednesday afternoon. Chosen by the Speaker of the Commons to be put to a vote.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, described it as a “breakthrough amendment”, as it would prevent the bill from being passed, and urged the Tories to withdraw it. Labor MPs will be beaten to vote against the amendment.
While a majority in the Commons means there is little hope of passage, the vote will nevertheless pave the way for opposition parties to release new ads on social media drawing attention to parliament voting against holding a new nationwide review of the practice.
A clip of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling for an inquiry during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday was reposted on X by Musk, with the words “well said”.
During the session, Starmer admitted to the House of Commons that there is a legitimate range of views on the need for new research.
“This is a really serious issue and we need to focus, obviously, on the victims and the survivors,” he told MPs. “There is no consistent opinion among victims and survivors about more national investigations, there are different opinions.”
Starmer warned that setting up a new inquiry could lead to further delays in dealing with abuse. “The last investigation took seven years,” he said. “That will take us to 2031.”
But Downing Street later ruled out the government allowing a national inquiry. “As the prime minister has said in this House, reasonable people can agree or disagree about the merits of a national inquiry. . . a clear message we have had for victims and survivors. .. they want to see action and that is what the government is focused on delivering.”
Starmer has an “open mind” about the question, it added.
Phillips returned after Musk criticized him for rejecting calls from Oldham Council to hold a government inquiry into gangs in the town. He said it would be more appropriate for the local authority to do one.
Ministers have repeatedly pointed to a seven-year national study by Professor Alexis Jay which put forward 20 tips, none of which were implemented by the previous Tory government. This week Labor announced it was progressing a number of proposals, including making corrections the worst sentencing for child sexual abuse.
Badenoch said on Wednesday that a national inquiry into the fixing gangs was needed because “no one has joined the dots, no one has the final picture” and the scandal “almost certainly continues”.
He challenged Starmer on whether the “full extent of gang rape” was known and said his opposition to the new inquiry would cause “cover-up anxiety” in voters.
Starmer hit back, accusing him of jumping on the bandwagon and saying “misinformation and mudslinging” didn't help victims.