Jess Phillips: A National Inquiry.

The Conservatives have been calling this week for a national inquiry into grooming gangs. Kemi Badenoch has asked Keir Starmer to look at holding a national inquiry into grooming gangs again. For the sake of victims of such heinous crimes, the call is correct.

However, when the Conservatives were in charge in 2022, they like the government now, refused to hold a national inquiry. So, are they not political point scoring and "Jumping on the bandwagon" as Sir Keir accused them? Political point-scoring on such an urgent matter is tasteless. This shows the hypocrisy of the Tories asking Labour to hold a national inquiry when they had the chance but did not.

Originally, Oldham Council had asked the government to hold a national inquiry. However, Labour told the council to hold one themselves. On hearing this Elon Musk got involved. Musk personally attacked Jess Phillips. Musk also criticised Keir Starmer for not holding a national inquiry. And accused the Prime Minister of being "Complicit" in the abuse.

Since then Sir Keir has hit back. As I have said before Sir Keir's attitude is one of defending his record on such things when he was Director of Public Prosecutions. His replies to Musk although not said directly are telling Musk to mind his own.

Musk and Starmer have been having online spats on social media about other things. With the volatile relationship between the two, how will this work out once Trump is in power? Will Trump tell Musk to button it once he is serving as Business Minister in Trump's cabinet? Or will he allow Musk to continue speaking out? What happens when Starmer and Musk have to meet? Delegations from the UK and US governments will meet. If Starmer and Musk are part of these delegations how will that go?

Whatever you think of Musk's interventions and about him, has his intervention caused the government to rethink their view on a national inquiry? Jess Phillips has been waxing lyrical about grooming gangs. The Birmingham MP has stated that grooming gangs are operating in every corner of the country. Not just Pakistani gangs but gangs of every nationality, faith, race, etc. As her colleague Yvette Cooper stated in parliament your nationality, faith, race, or gender, should not impede sexual grooming gangs being brought to justice.

Ms. Phillips seems keen to set up a national inquiry into the grooming gangs. "Nothing off the table" Jess has said including the above national inquiry panel. Ms. Phillips says if victims are willing to come forward and want a national inquiry, it will happen. Jess Phillips said she would listen to their stories and complaints. While it is good news that Jess Phillips is willing to hold a national inquiry what will it achieve? Will it bring closure to the nightmare of the victim's experiences, will new recommendations come out of it to toughen the law, and will there be more support for victims? Will there be measures to get around the fear of arresting certain groups lest the police be lambasted for their actions? It was the woke or politically correct climate that stopped the police for example from taking action against these evil gangs.

Whether people like Tommy Robinson, Elon Musk, or Kemi Badenoch are mentioning grooming gangs to be populist or not it seems they have started a conversation. I can't say that I am a particular fan of any of the above, however, grooming gangs must be addressed and their operations stamped out. If national inquiry recommendations are acted upon (not like other recommendations that have yet to be acted upon) grooming gangs are brought to justice and victims are listened to, helped, supported, and protected then I am all for it.