Starmer to tackle grooming gangs after sex exploitation case shakes UK
London: The conviction of seven men for the sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in northern England has prompted British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to announce a national inquiry into grooming gangs – a sharp policy shift after months of political pressure and growing public scrutiny.
The verdict, delivered on Friday at a Manchester court, revealed that the men – aged between 41 and 67 – groomed the girls, who were just 13 at the time, and subjected them to prolonged abuse between 2001 and 2006. The case, which occurred in Rochdale, reignited a scandal that has plagued numerous British towns for more than a decade and is now seen as the trigger for a comprehensive national response.
Speaking ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer said he had accepted a recommendation of Baroness Louise Casey, who recently completed a months-long audit into child sexual exploitation in England.
Casey's findings are reportedly expected to assert that the grooming gang issue is explicitly tied to men of Pakistani origin, claiming that white British girls who were targeted were 'institutionally ignored' because of racism concerns.
'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation,' Starmer told reporters. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.'
The inquiry will be statutory, giving it the legal authority to compel witnesses to testify – a key demand from victims and campaigners. While Starmer did not commit to a timeline, he said details would be set out 'in an orderly way'.
The announcement marks a significant reversal for Starmer, who had repeatedly rejected calls for a new national inquiry, arguing that the focus should remain on implementing the 200 recommendations of earlier reviews. Instead, the government had backed local investigations in five towns, including Oldham and Telford.
Pressure for a national response had been building for months. While political opponents – including the Conservative Party and Reform UK – consistently criticised the government's handling of the issue, international attention intensified in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his platform on X to highlight concerns over institutional inaction. Musk's posts brought renewed attention to a previous decision to deny Oldham Council's request for a national inquiry, fuelling wider public debate.
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Frontman Liam Og O hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November while saying "up Hamas, up Hezbollah". He denied the charge. Starmer told the Sun newspaper this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap, who rap in Irish and English, to appear at Glastonbury. With the outdoor arena at full capacity and scores of Palestinian flags waving in the blazing sun, the Northern Irish trio took to the West Holts stage at the festival in southwest England on Saturday. "Glastonbury, I'm a free man," O hAnnaidh, wearing a keffiyeh, told the crowd. Member Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Móglaí Bap, said: "The prime minister of your country - not mine - said he didn't want us to play so f*** Keir Starmer." Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed about 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Rap punk duo Bob Vylan performed on the stage before Kneecap and led the crowd in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF". Speaking before the performance, festival-goer Greg Robertson, 30, said: "I don't think politicians should really have too much of an impact on a weekend where everyone's trying to have fun and trying to maybe create a more optimistic future." Sara Majid, 29, said she liked what Kneecap stood for. "I'm intrigued by them," she said. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch had said the BBC public broadcaster, which is showing the festival, should not feature Kneecap, and 30 music industry bosses asked organisers to pull the band from the line-up, according to a letter leaked by DJ Toddla T, cited by the Guardian newspaper. In response, more than 100 musicians have signed a public letter in support of the group. Kneecap's manager Dan Lambert said the group had expected calls for the performance to be cancelled. "We knew that the biggest pressure would come on Glastonbury because Glastonbury's an institution," he told Reuters, adding that it had not been an issue for organisers. "We didn't bring it up and they didn't bring it up," he said. "They treated us professionally." Organiser Emily Eavis said on Wednesday the festival was a platform for artists from all over the world, adding that "everyone is welcome here". The BBC said on Saturday it would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. The footage of O'Hanna displaying the flag came to light after the trio projected pro-Palestinian messages on stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April, ending with: "F*** Israel. Free Palestine." Kneecap, which also includes DJ Próvaí, have said they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. O hAnnaidh said on Friday the group were "playing characters" on stage, and it was up to the audience to interpret their messages. Also playing on Saturday afternoon were Leeds rock band Kaiser Chiefs and US star Brandi Carlile, who released an album with Sir Elton John earlier in the year. with PA Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has played to a huge crowd at Glastonbury Festival despite criticism by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and pressure from some in the music industry to pull the gig. Frontman Liam Og O hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November while saying "up Hamas, up Hezbollah". He denied the charge. Starmer told the Sun newspaper this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap, who rap in Irish and English, to appear at Glastonbury. With the outdoor arena at full capacity and scores of Palestinian flags waving in the blazing sun, the Northern Irish trio took to the West Holts stage at the festival in southwest England on Saturday. "Glastonbury, I'm a free man," O hAnnaidh, wearing a keffiyeh, told the crowd. Member Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Móglaí Bap, said: "The prime minister of your country - not mine - said he didn't want us to play so f*** Keir Starmer." Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed about 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Rap punk duo Bob Vylan performed on the stage before Kneecap and led the crowd in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF". Speaking before the performance, festival-goer Greg Robertson, 30, said: "I don't think politicians should really have too much of an impact on a weekend where everyone's trying to have fun and trying to maybe create a more optimistic future." Sara Majid, 29, said she liked what Kneecap stood for. "I'm intrigued by them," she said. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch had said the BBC public broadcaster, which is showing the festival, should not feature Kneecap, and 30 music industry bosses asked organisers to pull the band from the line-up, according to a letter leaked by DJ Toddla T, cited by the Guardian newspaper. In response, more than 100 musicians have signed a public letter in support of the group. Kneecap's manager Dan Lambert said the group had expected calls for the performance to be cancelled. "We knew that the biggest pressure would come on Glastonbury because Glastonbury's an institution," he told Reuters, adding that it had not been an issue for organisers. "We didn't bring it up and they didn't bring it up," he said. "They treated us professionally." Organiser Emily Eavis said on Wednesday the festival was a platform for artists from all over the world, adding that "everyone is welcome here". The BBC said on Saturday it would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. The footage of O'Hanna displaying the flag came to light after the trio projected pro-Palestinian messages on stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April, ending with: "F*** Israel. Free Palestine." Kneecap, which also includes DJ Próvaí, have said they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. O hAnnaidh said on Friday the group were "playing characters" on stage, and it was up to the audience to interpret their messages. Also playing on Saturday afternoon were Leeds rock band Kaiser Chiefs and US star Brandi Carlile, who released an album with Sir Elton John earlier in the year. with PA Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has played to a huge crowd at Glastonbury Festival despite criticism by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and pressure from some in the music industry to pull the gig. Frontman Liam Og O hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November while saying "up Hamas, up Hezbollah". He denied the charge. Starmer told the Sun newspaper this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap, who rap in Irish and English, to appear at Glastonbury. With the outdoor arena at full capacity and scores of Palestinian flags waving in the blazing sun, the Northern Irish trio took to the West Holts stage at the festival in southwest England on Saturday. "Glastonbury, I'm a free man," O hAnnaidh, wearing a keffiyeh, told the crowd. Member Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Móglaí Bap, said: "The prime minister of your country - not mine - said he didn't want us to play so f*** Keir Starmer." Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed about 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Rap punk duo Bob Vylan performed on the stage before Kneecap and led the crowd in chants of "Free, free Palestine" and "Death, death to the IDF". Speaking before the performance, festival-goer Greg Robertson, 30, said: "I don't think politicians should really have too much of an impact on a weekend where everyone's trying to have fun and trying to maybe create a more optimistic future." Sara Majid, 29, said she liked what Kneecap stood for. "I'm intrigued by them," she said. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch had said the BBC public broadcaster, which is showing the festival, should not feature Kneecap, and 30 music industry bosses asked organisers to pull the band from the line-up, according to a letter leaked by DJ Toddla T, cited by the Guardian newspaper. In response, more than 100 musicians have signed a public letter in support of the group. Kneecap's manager Dan Lambert said the group had expected calls for the performance to be cancelled. "We knew that the biggest pressure would come on Glastonbury because Glastonbury's an institution," he told Reuters, adding that it had not been an issue for organisers. "We didn't bring it up and they didn't bring it up," he said. "They treated us professionally." Organiser Emily Eavis said on Wednesday the festival was a platform for artists from all over the world, adding that "everyone is welcome here". The BBC said on Saturday it would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. The footage of O'Hanna displaying the flag came to light after the trio projected pro-Palestinian messages on stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April, ending with: "F*** Israel. Free Palestine." Kneecap, which also includes DJ Próvaí, have said they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. O hAnnaidh said on Friday the group were "playing characters" on stage, and it was up to the audience to interpret their messages. Also playing on Saturday afternoon were Leeds rock band Kaiser Chiefs and US star Brandi Carlile, who released an album with Sir Elton John earlier in the year. with PA
