What’s the real reason Labour is reluctant to hold a grooming gangs inquiry?

Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure to a launch a national review into grooming gangs, but so far the Prime Minister is holding firm. ‘This doesn’t need more consultation, it doesn’t need more research, it just needs action. There have been many, many reviews…frankly, it’s time for action,’ he said yesterday. Starmer’s comments reinforce the position of Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, who last week refused Oldham Council’s request for a government-led public inquiry into grooming gangs in the town. But what’s the real reason Labour is so reluctant to probe these appalling crimes?

It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Phillips’ wafer-thin majority might play a part in her thinking. The Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley won at the last election by just 693 votes. When she made her acceptance speech, she was heckled.