Sir Keir, who has repeatedly defended his role in the scandal, has been listed as a core participant.
Sir Keir Starmer will face questions over the grooming gang scandal (Image: Getty)
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be summoned to give evidence to the national grooming gangs inquiry, it has emerged. Sir Keir, who has repeatedly defended his role in the scandal, has been listed as a core participant. The hearings will start with the experiences of victims and survivors. But the probe, led by Baroness Anne Longfield, will then examine institutional responses amid widespread fears of cover-ups.
A list published by the inquiry also reveals the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, will give evidence, as will Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Communities Secretary Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper. The inquiry team said in a statement: “In awarding Core Participant status, the Chair of the Inquiry considers whether a person played, or may have played, a direct and significant role in relation to the matters to which the inquiry relates, whether they have a significant interest in an important aspect of the matters to which the inquiry relates, or whether the person may be subject to explicit or significant criticism during the inquiry proceedings or in the report, or in any interim report.”
It is expected that Sir Keir will give evidence in the second phase of the inquiry.
Other core participants include Greater Manchester Police whistleblower Maggie Oliver and Rotherham whistleblower Jayne Senior.
Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, Chair of the Inquiry, said: “Over many years, inquiries, reviews, inspections and investigations have identified serious failings in how children were protected from sexual exploitation by grooming gangs and made recommendations for change.
“Reviews have been held before. Reports have been written. Recommendations have been made. Yet victims and survivors tell us that too many of those recommendations did not result in meaningful change, lessons were not learned, and organisations are still failing to act.
“We are determined to establish the truth about these horrific crimes, understand why children were failed for so long, and ensure that those responsible for protecting them are held properly to account.
“These hearings are not simply about identifying what needs to change. They are about understanding why change did not always follow, who was responsible, and what must now happen to make sure these failures are not repeated.”
Zoë Billingham CBE, Panellist on the Inquiry, said: “For too long there has been a gap between what previous inquiries and reviews identified and what happened afterwards.
“These hearings will examine what action was taken, what progress was made, who was responsible for delivering change and why recommendations did not always result in meaningful improvements.”
Sir Keir faced fury from victims after a major Daily Express investigation revealed he oversaw the use of “paedophile Asbos” that allowed suspects to get off with a warning.
Our probe found documents from Sir Keir’s time as Britain’s top prosecutor describing how the CPS was “drafting and agreeing” warning notices with police chiefs that whistleblowers say have been given to suspected child rapists.
The warning notices were drawn up as part of the CPS’s national strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.
But our investigation found that the “early intervention tool” was often used instead of evidence gathering and no research was ever conducted into their effectiveness.
The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs confirmed London, Oldham and Bradford and Keighley will be the first areas to face local investigations, following multiple Daily Express investigations.
The inquiry will explore “the wider network of grooming gangs across London’s satellite towns and cities”.
And it will focus on the capital’s role “in the national network of grooming gangs”. They admitted there needs to be an “early investigation” because London “has the highest rate of referrals for child sexual exploitation” in the country and extensive transport links.