Nigel Farage accuses Sir Keir Starmer of cover-up over grooming gangs | Politics | News

Nigel Farage has accused Sir Keir Starmer of covering up the grooming gang scandal following a major expose in the Daily Express. The Reform Britain leader claimed the Prime Minister was trying to delay a proper investigation until after the next election or sabotage it altogether.

He said the ever-worsening scandal must have been the final straw for the “morally corrupt Labor government”. His harsh criticism comes as pressure intensifies over Sir Keir’s handling of the inquiry. It also follows a joint Express/MyLondon investigation into whether rape gangs operate in London.

Our investigation forced the Metropolitan Police to make a major U-turn, admitting for the first time there had been a “very significant number” of investigations into gangs.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Met previously claimed there were “no reports” of Rochdale or Rotherham-style rape gangs in the capital, while Mr Khan claimed there was “no indication” they existed.

Writing in this newspaper, Mr Farage said: “For decades, Labor officials and police in British towns and cities covered up the rape of thousands of young British girls by gangs of mostly Muslim men of Pakistani origin.

“It was one of the biggest scandals in modern British history.

“It would be an even bigger scandal if the Labor government once again tried to sacrifice justice on behalf of the victims in a desperate bid to save its own life at the ballot box.”

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of covering up the gang investigation and called for safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to be sacked.

He said ministers were waging a “briefing war against survivors” during the shootings.

It comes after four women left a Home Office victims panel in protest, accusing ministers of trying to water down the investigation and downplay the racial and religious motivations behind the abuse.

Fiona Goddard, one of those who resigned, said Ms Phillips should resign after she publicly rejected claims from survivors that the investigation could be broadened to include child sexual abuse more broadly.

Ms Goddard later produced formal consultation documents showing participants were asked whether the inquiry should “take a broader approach”.

At PMQs, Ms Badenoch said: “The four victims on the rape gang survivors panel have resigned and they have resigned because they have lost all confidence in the government’s investigation. So I put my first question to one of them, Fiona.

“’Dismissing and opposing a minister when he’s telling the truth takes you back to that feeling of not being believed,’ he said.

“Fiona’s question is simple: ‘What’s the point of speaking out if we’re going to be called liars?’”

Sir Keir said the investigation “will not be watered down and will never be watered down”.

He also told victims that “the door will always be open if they want to return”, adding: “But even if they don’t, we owe it to them, to Fiona and to the country to respond to the concerns they have raised.”

“The investigation has not been diluted and will never be diluted.

“The scope will not change. We will examine the ethnicity and religion of the perpetrators and find the right person to lead the investigation.”

Ms Badenoch hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of “trying to downplay the racial and religious motivations” behind the abuse, adding: “Aren’t the victims right to say it was a cover-up?”

He also asked whether Ms Phillips still had the Prime Minister’s confidence.

Quoting the survivor, he said the conservation minister “should be dismissed because I don’t think his behavior during this period was acceptable for the position he was in.”

“The Member for Birmingham Yardley has clearly lost the trust of the victims. Does he still have the trust of the Prime Minister?” he added.

Sir Keir said: “I respect the views of all survivors and accept that there are different views.

“But the protection minister probably has more experience of tackling violence against women and girls than anyone else in this House.

“Next to him will be Louise Casey. These two individuals have spent decades advocating for those who have been subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation, and I certainly think it’s the right thing to do for them.”

The row follows days of turmoil for the inquiry after senior social worker Annie Hudson, who was to lead the inquiry, withdrew from the process.

Three more survivors, including Rotherham victim “Elizabeth”, resigned, accusing authorities of creating a “toxic environment”.

Baroness Casey previously led a “national audit” into group-based child sexual abuse, which found “many examples” of organizations avoiding discussing “ethnicity or cultural factors” in such crimes “for fear of appearing racist”.

Its findings, published in June 2025, prompted Sir Keir to order the launch of a national inquiry.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, the Home Office refused to say how Baroness Casey would support the investigation.