'You can't announce national inquiries based on Twitter': Treasury minister defends PM's U-turn on grooming gangs

15 June 2025, 12:00 | Updated: 15 June 2025, 15:21

Labour minister Darren Jones has defended the Prime Minister's decision to U-turn by committing to a statutory inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

After resisting pressure for months to implement a full probe, Sir Keir Starmer said he had read “every single word” of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation.

Earlier this year, the government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay.

Sir Keir faced backlash when he described those calling for an inquiry as "jumping on the bandwagon of the far right".

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has denied the PM now owes those people an apology, insisting the Labour government has followed the right procedures is making this decision.

Read more: Tories call for apology after Keir Starmer U-Turns on grooming gangs

Read more: Starmer U-turns on grooming gangs: PM orders statutory inquiry after Casey report

Mr Jones told LBC's Lewis Goodall: "When we came into office, we were very clear that at the heart of all of this debate are victims of the most atrocious crimes imaginable, and we want to make sure that we are supporting those victims and making sure that justice is brought against the criminals that perpetuated that violence against them."

He said it was important they don't "make decisions as a government based on intuition" but instead make sure they are "based on evidence".

Mr Jones said: "This is just a proper way of running government. You can't respond to Twitter pile-ons or people shouting.

"You've got to do these things properly. And that's what's been done with the Baroness Casey report, which has now resulted in the decision taken by the Prime Minister."

"You can't announce national inquiries based on Twitter and people kind of shouting at you", he said.

"As I say, you've got to do these things properly. That has been done properly in a methodical, robust way.

"And that has now led to the Prime Minister's conclusion that there will be a national inquiry. And that's the right thing to do"

Speaking to reporters travelling with him on his visit to Canada, the Prime Minister said: “I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That’s why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit.

“Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on.

“She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen.

“I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.”