Starmer opens door to grooming gangs U-turn after Labour 'cowards' BLOCK inquiry

He also said that No10 would “reject” claims it was a U-turn, instead insisting that the Prime Minister would pursue a “victims-first approach”.

The development comes as Labour MPs were accused of being "cowards" after Starmer whipped his backbenchers to vote down Tory calls for an inquiry.

A total of 364 MPs voted against the amendment, with just 111 supporting another national inquiry.

The Tories responded by releasing attack adverts, which were in the style of old Labour attack adverts, on MPs who voted down the amendment.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “It is disgusting that Keir Starmer has used his supermajority in Parliament to block a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal.

“Labour MPs have put their Party ahead of getting to the truth and turned a blind eye to justice for the victims.

"Labour MPs will have to explain to the British people why they are against learning the truth behind the torture and rape of countless vulnerable girls.

“We will not let them forget this act of cowardice.”

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also vowed to gather funds to launch his own inquiry.

Speaking to GB News, Farage said: "If the Government don't give in and we don't get a proper inquiry into this, and goodness knows we do need one, and then we will raise the money and we will appoint or find some sort of independent retired judges to run the thing.

"No, we're not going to back off from this. The country deserves to know the truth about, firstly, the extent of what happened and secondly, the extent of the cover up and who was involved in that cover up."

He added: "Parliament is completely out of touch with the country, I promise you."

Despite not suffering from a Commons rebellion, influential pressure group Blue Labour broke ranks with Starmer ahead of the vote over the need for a national inquiry.

Blue Labour, spearheaded by Lord Glasman, said in a statement: “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.”

Badenoch's failed amendment was tabled after the Leader of the Opposition locked horns with Starmer in a fiery Prime Minister's Questions yesterday.

The Tory leader labelled the grooming scandal as “one of the worst scandals in British history”, accusing the Prime Minister of denying an inquiry to protect Labour figures "who may be complicit".

However, Badenoch's spokesman later confirmed that the Leader of the Opposition has not yet met any victims of the grooming gangs scandal and has no plans to do so.

The Prime Minister met with grooming gangs survivors ahead of yesterday's crunch Commons vote.

Despite calls for a new inquiry, previous review chief Professor Alexis Jay urged Starmer's Government to "get on with" implementing the 20 recommendations from her 2022 report.

However, a number of grooming gangs survivors have already called for Starmer to back a national inquiry.

Sam told The People's Channel: "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.

"A Telford-style inquiry will give answers to survivors but it won’t give justice to those who deserve it."

Jack, whose daughter was another grooming gangs survivor, added: “Let’s just get on with it and put this to bed for good.

"People of this country deserve to know what our children are facing and they're facing it today.”

In response to calls for full, independent inquiry, a Government spokesman previously said: "No child should ever suffer sexual abuse or exploitation and it is paramount we do more to protect vulnerable children – which is why we are working at pace across Government to drive forward real action to implement the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by professor Alexis Jay.

“The comprehensive independent inquiry ran for seven years and continues to work with survivors of these heinous crimes – and this Government is committed to working closely with survivors and expert groups like Act on IICSA."