Keir Starmer ‘ignored grooming gang whistleblower’ as Nigel Farage demands investigation

Sir has been accused to ignoring a whistleblower who sounded concerns about so-called “” preying on vulnerable white girls.

Meanwhile has pledged a national inquiry to investigate the scandal if his wins the next general election.

Jayne Senior, a youth services manager who played a vital role in highlighting the shocking issue, in which teenagers were targeted by men of mainly Pakistani heritage, told : “I really thought that because of what I had whistleblown on and my role in Rotherham, I thought he would have at least asked for more information, or agreed to meet me – but no.

“In opposition, Labour were up there shouting for women, for girls, for child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse – and then the minute that they become elected, where are they?”

She also told : “I felt sidelined by Labour. I wasn’t even worthy of a call, a letter or a meeting. Nothing.

“Starmer has never taken notice of my concerns – we’ve been ignored for years. It’s so telling that he didn’t even bother to respond to my concerns and experience at the time.

“There were a couple of Labour councillors who were supportive and thought the way the council was behaving was despicable.”

Georgina Halford-Hall, the chief executive of Whistleblowers UK, wrote to Sir Keir five years ago to outline the important contribution Ms Senior had made, which earned her an MBE in 2015

She said: “Again we see the shameful resolve of the whole establishment to put as many obstacles in the way of justice for the 2,000+ victims and whistleblowers as possible. Politics and party loyalty continue to be priorities over the safety and wellbeing of children.

“Speaking up came at a very high price for whistleblowers like Jayne Senior who turned to the former director of public prosecutions to step in to protect her from members of his own party and the police who were determined to silence her.”

It was revealed that Labour, and specifically junior Home Office minister Jess Phillips, ruled out a national public inquiry into the grooming scandal during which thousands of girls were raped and sexually abused by gangs of largely British Pakistani men.

Maggie Oliver, who helped uncover large-scaled abuse in Rochdale, likewise pointed the finger at the Prime Minister earlier this week.

Posting on X, the former detective who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012, said: “I firmly believe we need totally independent people who will ensure it’s not just another attempt to delay and hide the truth. Radical change and overhaul of all our public bodies.”

“Bring in criminal accountability for all our senior police and public officials who have turned a blind eye.”

The and Labour were both to blame, she added, with former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Keir “perhaps as guilty as anyone I know in where we find ourselves today”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has insisted Ms Phillips was a “fearless and formidable” advocate for sexual abuse victims after criticised the safeguarding minister.

The billionaire X owner suggested Ms Phillips “deserves to be in prison” for denying requests for the Home Office to lead a public inquiry.

Ms Phillips said in a letter to the local council that Oldham must follow in the footsteps of other towns such as Rotherham and Telford and commission its own inquiry into historical abuse of children.

Mr Musk also attacked Sir Keir, saying the Prime Minister failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.

Ms Cooper said Ms Phillips had “campaigned tirelessly” on behalf of those that had been failed by institutions.

She said: “Jess Phillips has dedicated her career to tackling sexual violence and abuse and to being a voice for victims and survivors of the most terrible crimes, including child sexual abuse.

“From setting up the first ever child sexual exploitation service in the Black Country and supporting survivors in Telford, Jess has been a fearless and formidable advocate for victims and survivors.

“She has worked with whistleblowers and campaigned tirelessly for justice for those badly let down by endemic institutional failure.”

Ms Phillips has put the experience of grooming and trafficking victims “at the heart” of the department’s work on modern slavery and launched a national scheme so police and staff work together to spot when hotels are used as a site of child sexual exploitation, Ms Cooper insisted.

Ms Cooper said the Birmingham Yardley MP would keep working on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, which published its final report in 2022.

Led by Professor Alexis Jay, the inquiry looked into abuse by organised groups following multiple convictions of sexual offences against children across the UK between 2010-2014, including in Rotherham, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Rochdale and Bristol.

Last year, Ms Phillips described X, formerly Twitter, as a “place of misery” and said she planned to use the site less.

Its owner Mr Musk, a key member of US President-elect ‘s inner circle, shared and reacted to a series of tweets relating to grooming in the UK earlier this week.

The Tesla boss described the Prime Minister as “two-tier Keir”, claiming there was “no justice for severe, violent crimes but prison for social media posts” in the UK.

He also said Sir Keir failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice when he was director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013.

Senior including Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, have since sought to put pressure on the Government over grooming gangs.

In 2022, the then-Conservative government also refused a request for a public inquiry into events in Oldham.

Mrs Badenoch repeated her call for an inquiry in the Mail on Sunday, saying “some action was taken under the previous Tory government, but not enough”.

“We still need to know the extent to which institutions such as the police, local government and social services are compromised by political correctness, and even self interest,” she wrote.

“Only then can we have any hope of preventing this scale of abuse from happening again.

“We have failed to get to the bottom of how national-scale child sexual abuse happens, for fear of causing offence.”

Reform UK said on Saturday it would launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs if elected.

Chairman Zia Yusuf told supporters at a conference in Chelmsford, Essex, that his party would launch an independent inquiry that would “leave no stone unturned”.

Party leader said a “full, open, national inquiry” was needed, so that everyone in the country “knows the truth” and understands that “mass open-door immigration without assimilation is a complete cultural disaster for our country”.

Express.co.uk has approached No.10 and Labour for comment.