PM warned white British girls were targeted and ignored due to ‘fears of racism’ – Downing Street braces for civil unrest
Sir Keir Starmer will be told to launch a new national inquiry into grooming gangs, following a bombshell report set to link the scandal with Pakistani men.
The Prime Minister is expected to be warned that white British girls were targeted and ignored due to “fears of racism” in a damning review that has prompted concerns about potential civil unrest.
The review by Baroness Casey, due to be announced next week, is understood by The Times to recommend a new national inquiry into the horrific abuse that has affected thousands of vulnerable girls across Britain.
CIVIL UNREST FEARS
Downing Street is believed to be deeply concerned about potential civil unrest following the release of the report, with Whitehall insiders suggesting the government fears public reaction to the findings.
A separate report seen by The Sun reveals that Baroness Louise Casey specifically links illegal migration with the violence perpetrated against vulnerable young girls – a connection that has sparked alarm within the Home Office.
The Home Office fears civil unrest if the link becomes widely known,” a source close to the report told GB News.
LABOUR’S RESISTANCE
Starmer has previously stated that another national inquiry would prolong justice for the victims by delaying the implementation of recommendations from previous inquiries.
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister whipped Labour MPs to vote down Conservative calls for a national inquiry, with 364 MPs voting against the amendment and just 111 supporting it.
The move prompted fury from opposition parties, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp declaring: “It is disgusting that Keir Starmer has used his supermajority in Parliament to block a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal.
LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
Following the expected release of Casey’s report next week, Labour has signed off several legislative changes. An initial announcement has been scheduled for Wednesday, though Whitehall insiders suggest it could be brought forward after details of Casey’s report were leaked.
The Conservatives have tabled a change to the Crime and Policing Bill which would force ministers to start “a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.
PREVIOUS INQUIRIES
The controversy comes after years of investigations into grooming gangs across northern England. The scandal has revealed how gangs of predominantly British-Pakistani men groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls over decades.
Previous reports, including the Jay Report into Rotherham which estimated 1,400 girls were affected in that town alone, have highlighted how authorities failed to act due to fears of being labelled racist.
Baroness Casey previously led a 2015 review into Rotherham Council which found a culture of “bullying, sexism… and misplaced ‘political correctness'” that prioritised covering up information and silencing whistleblowers.
PUBLIC OPINION
A YouGov poll commissioned by the Women’s Policy Centre and shared exclusively with GB News found that 76 per cent of the British public support calls for a national investigation into the sexual abuse of children by grooming gangs.
Only 13 per cent of adults oppose such a move, putting Sir Keir Starmer dramatically at odds with public opinion.
CROSS-PARTY PRESSURE
The pressure on Starmer has intensified with cross-party calls for action. Three Labour MPs – Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh – have publicly expressed support for a national inquiry.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, a senior Labour figure, has also backed calls for a national investigation.
Even the influential pressure group Blue Labour broke ranks with Starmer, stating: “For many of us in Blue Labour, the left’s inability to face up to the awful reality of the organised grooming and rape of young girls by men of mostly Pakistani origin across English towns severed our faith in progressive politics for good.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACH
Instead of a national inquiry, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced in January that Baroness Casey would conduct a “rapid three-month audit” of group-based exploitation, alongside five local inquiries in pilot areas including Oldham.
The Casey review was tasked with building a “national picture of what is known about current group-based child sexual exploitation” and to “identify local and national trends.
However, critics argue this approach falls short of what is needed to address the scale of the scandal and deliver justice to victims.
VICTIMS’ VOICES
Several grooming gang survivors have called for Starmer to back a national inquiry. One survivor, identified as Sam, told GB News: “A Government inquiry is the only way to hold Oldham Council and GMP accountable for their huge failures that led to hundreds of survivors being mistreated and not listened to.
As the government braces for the release of Casey’s report, the question remains whether Starmer will maintain his opposition to a national inquiry in the face of mounting evidence and public pressure – or whether the fear of civil unrest will force a dramatic U-turn on one of the most shameful scandals in modern British history.
“Keir Starmer PM (cropped)” – Taken on 5 July 2024 in London, United Kingdom, during his appointment of the cabinet at 10 Downing Street. Photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, © Crown copyright, licensed under the United Kingdom Open Government Licence v3.0 – https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
