Rachel Reeves defends Starmer’s delay in launching grooming gangs inquiry

Chancellor says PM not grandstanding' and wanted to assure himself' that national public inquiry was necessary

Rachel Reeves has defended Keir Starmer's decision to launch a national inquiry into historic child sexual exploitation after months of pressure, saying that victims of grooming gangs have always been the government's priority.

The chancellor said the prime minister was not concerned with grandstanding" and had instead wanted to assure himself" that a full public inquiry was necessary. She insisted that ministers had never dismissed the concerns of victims", even as Labour previously resisted calls for a wide-ranging investigation.