Politics latest: Grooming gangs ‘cover-up’ must be exposed, says Badenoch – as PM resists calls for inquiry | Politics News

Kemi Badenoch rises to her feet and asks the first of her allotted questions of PMQs.

This week, the leader of the Conservatives begins with the child grooming scandal.

She says that on Monday, the prime minister’s safeguarding minister admitted there was a “cover-up” of the child rape gang scandal, and asks whether he thinks “we should expose this”.

PM vows to act on previous inquiry

Keir Starmer replies that he oversaw the first grooming gang prosecution in his previous role as director of public prosecutions. 

He accuses Badenoch of never raising the issue in the Commons “in three years” while she was the children’s minister.

And the previous Tory government failed to implement a single recommendation from a previous independent inquiry, he says.

Addressing the question directly, Starmer adds: “My position is absolutely clear: Where there is evidence, the police should investigate and there should be appropriate prosecutions. That’s route number one. 

“Route number two, we should implement existing recommendations which did expose what went wrong.”

He says that’s what the government is doing.

‘Is he dragging his heels?’

Badenoch repeats her call for a national inquiry, but asks where the five local inquiries promised by Labour will be held.

Currently, we know one will be held in Oldham. 

Starmer doesn’t say where the others will be held, and Badenoch accuses him of watering down his promises.

She asks: “Is he dragging his heels on this because he doesn’t want Labour cover-ups exposed?”

Starmer responds to jeers as he repeats that he spent five years as director of public prosecutions, and says he changed the approach to how cases were prosecuted.

“She stayed silent throughout their years in government, and so did the entire front bench,” he adds.