Prime Minister Keir Starmer has publicly asserted that the national inquiry into grooming gangs will fully investigate cases in London, in a move seen as a direct rebuke to the city's Mayor, Sadiq Khan.
A Clash Over London's Grooming Gang Scandal
In a thinly-veiled criticism of the London Mayor, Sir Keir declared that the national inquiry would 'leave no stone unturned wherever it is in the country'. He emphasised that his first priority was always for credible evidence to be investigated by the police, whether in old or new cases, and for individuals to be put before criminal courts where possible.
This statement stands in stark contrast to the position long held by Mr Khan, who has only very recently acknowledged the presence of grooming gangs in the capital. The Mayor has been consistently criticised for his refusal to use the term 'grooming gang', a stance which some argue has hindered efforts to support victims.
Accusations of Denial and a Cover-Up
The depth of the concern was highlighted by police whistleblower Maggie Oliver, who accused Sir Sadiq of being in 'denial' about the existence and scale of the problem in his city, going as far as to label it a 'cover up'.
Just last month, Mr Khan attempted to distinguish the situation in London, stating that cases in the capital are 'far more complex' than those elsewhere in the country. He denied comparisons to other grooming gang scandals, commenting, 'Those horrific cases [elsewhere] are not the sort of cases we've seen in London'.
This comment came just two days after the Metropolitan Police announced it would be reviewing 9,000 cases of organised child sexual exploitation in London. This review was prompted by the national Casey review, which found that the issue was far more widespread, organised, and underreported than the Mayor had previously admitted. Scotland Yard itself described group-based offending in London as 'particularly insidious and devastating'.
A Thorny Political Issue and a Shifting Stance
The problem of industrial-scale sexual exploitation has been a difficult issue for the Labour party nationally. Earlier this year, Sir Keir himself criticised those demanding a national inquiry, suggesting they were jumping on the 'bandwagon of the far right' and were 'desperate for attention'. He initially ordered his MPs to vote against an inquiry before performing a U-turn and commissioning one.
Similarly, now-Deputy Leader Lucy Powell had previously labelled demands for an inquiry as 'dog whistle politics', comments for which she later apologised. The Prime Minister's latest comments therefore signal a significant shift, indicating a new willingness to confront what has been a 'toxic' political issue.
However, the national inquiry faces its own challenges. It is currently without a candidate to lead the panel after a senior social worker stepped down, citing a 'fearful environment' and accusations that the Home Office had watered down the panel. The situation was further engulfed in chaos when four other victims dramatically quit the panel in protest.
One of those victims, Fiona Goddard, expressed her disgust, asking, 'What's the point in speaking up if we're just going to be called liars?' The success of the inquiry in London will be a critical test of whether the Prime Minister can overcome his critics and deliver on his promise of justice.
