Nigel Farage welcomes national inquiry announcement but issues stark warning to Labour about getting it ‘done correctly’
Reform deputy Richard Tice brands decision ‘massive Starmer U-turn due to fear of Reform UK’
Farage had threatened to launch Reform’s own private inquiry if government didn’t act by end of January
Reform made manifesto commitment in April to hold national probe within first month if elected
Nigel Farage has triumphantly welcomed Sir Keir Starmer’s dramatic U-turn on a national grooming gangs inquiry – but issued a stark warning that it must not become a “whitewash.
The Reform UK leader, who made launching a national probe a manifesto commitment in April, said the Prime Minister’s bombshell announcement was a “welcome U-turn” that vindicated his party’s relentless campaign for justice.
But in a fiery statement on Saturday afternoon, Farage laid down a clear marker to Labour about how the inquiry must be conducted, warning: “I repeat the words ‘done correctly’ – this cannot be a whitewash.
REFORM TAKES VICTORY LAP
Farage’s deputy leader Richard Tice was even more direct, branding the decision a “massive Starmer U-turn due to a fear of Reform UK”, adding triumphantly: “Once again, Labour copying Reform policy.
The Reform leadership’s response came just hours after Sir Keir announced he would accept Baroness Casey’s recommendation for a statutory inquiry while flying to Canada for the G7 summit – marking an extraordinary reversal of his previous stubborn resistance.
In his statement, Farage declared: “The Government’s decision to launch a national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal is a welcome U-turn. A full statutory inquiry, done correctly, will expose the multiple failings of the British establishment.
But he immediately pivoted to ensuring the inquiry delivers real justice: “It’s time for victims to receive the justice they deserve and for perpetrators to face the full force of the law.
DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
Reform’s newest MP, Sarah Pochin, a former magistrate, immediately demanded transparency from the government, stating: “Sir Keir Starmer must immediately publish a clear and detailed timetable for this inquiry. Victims and communities have waited long enough. This cannot be kicked into the long grass. We need answers – and soon.”
Her intervention reflects Reform’s determination to keep pressure on the government to ensure the inquiry doesn’t become another drawn-out process that fails to deliver justice.
FARAGE’S PRIVATE INQUIRY THREAT
The Prime Minister’s U-turn comes after Farage had issued an extraordinary ultimatum to Labour, threatening to launch and fund Reform UK’s own private inquiry if the government didn’t act.
Speaking on LBC in January, Farage had declared: “If the government don’t give in and we don’t get a proper inquiry into this, then we will raise the money and we will appoint our own inquiry. I promise you I can raise the money today – not from Elon Musk either.
He had given Starmer until the end of January to act, warning: “I tell you what guys – get on and just do it.
Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf had backed up the threat, telling GB News that many were “lining up” to fund Reform’s bid to shed light on the scandal.
MANIFESTO COMMITMENT VINDICATED
In April, Reform UK had made launching a national inquiry one of its first legislative pledges, with Farage telling GB News: “If Labour refuses to hold an inquiry, Reform’s manifesto at the next election will commit to legislation for an Inquiry, with statutory powers, into the gangs introduced to Parliament in the first month of the Reform government.
The party had even prepared legislation based on a bill from campaign group Crush Crime, allowing Reform to launch an inquiry with statutory powers within its first month of government.
Now, with Starmer’s announcement, Reform can claim vindication for its relentless campaign on the issue.
CROSS-PARTY PRESSURE PAYS OFF
Reform had also forged unlikely alliances to force the government’s hand, with Farage teaming up with Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman to back a parliamentary bill calling for a statutory inquiry.
Lord Glasman had warned: “The gangs are still operating. The British public expect action so the police and other services finally get a grip of this disgrace.
This cross-party coalition, which included Conservatives, had set off alarm bells in Labour HQ ahead of local elections, demonstrating the political pressure the government was under.
FIERCE CRITICISM OF LABOUR’S RESISTANCE
Throughout the months of Labour resistance, Farage had been scathing in his criticism. After MPs rejected a Conservative bid for an inquiry in January, he fumed: “What have they got to hide?!
He accused Labour of being “in total denial over the whole thing”, adding: “Don’t forget it was a Labour MP that first blew the whistle on this back in 2002, and they’ve been trying to bury it ever since.
The Reform leader had argued that the scandal was far more widespread than previously thought, citing GB News reporter Charlie Peters’ work showing “evidence that these barbarities have taken place in at least 50 towns.
WARNING ABOUT ‘WHITEWASH’
Despite welcoming the announcement, Farage’s warning about ensuring the inquiry is “done correctly” reflects Reform’s concerns that it could still be watered down or limited in scope.
He had previously dismissed the Professor Alexis Jay inquiry as “a whitewash” that “barely mentions grooming gangs“, arguing that a new inquiry must go much further.
Farage had called for the inquiry to specifically examine “to what extent were gangs of Pakistani men raping young white girls”, stating: “Because ultimately, it seems to me, there’s a deep racist element behind what happened.
POLITICAL MOMENTUM FOR REFORM
The government’s U-turn represents a significant political victory for Reform UK, which has seen its poll numbers rise as it championed the grooming gangs issue.
Having overtaken the Conservatives in some polls, Reform can now claim it forced the government to act on an issue Labour had desperately tried to avoid.
As one Reform source put it: “Keir Starmer has been dragged kicking and screaming to do the right thing. Without Reform’s pressure, this would never have happened.”
With the inquiry now confirmed, all eyes will be on whether it delivers the comprehensive investigation and justice that Farage and Reform UK have demanded – or whether their warnings about a potential “whitewash” prove prescient.
“Nigel Farage” — by Gage Skidmore, taken 20 February 2025 at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY‑SA 2.0)
