SIR Keir Starmer was accused of having “two-tier telly” views last night after failing to respond to a grooming gangs show with the same horror he had after watching Adolescence.
The PM’s commitment to the child rape scandal was also questioned after the czar tasked with leading a mini-inquiry began a second job as the government’s social care reviewer.
AlamySir Keir Starmer has been slammed for having ‘two-tier telly’ views[/caption]
Channel 4Groomed: A National Scandal tells the stories of five young women who suffered over a 20-year period in part because of the failures of the police and social services[/caption]
Courtesy of Ben Blackall/NetflixThe Tories said the PM’s reaction should have been as ferocious as when he watched the Netflix drama Adolescence, which he demanded be shown to school children[/caption]
The abuse of white girls by men of mainly Pakistani heritage in northern towns was chronicled in a haunting documentary shown on Channel 4 on Wednesday night.
Groomed: A National Scandal tells the stories of five young women who suffered over a 20-year period in part because of the failures of the police and social services.
The Tories said the PM’s reaction should have been as ferocious as when he watched the Netflix drama Adolescence, which he demanded be shown to school children.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This shocking documentary laid bare the shameful cover-up of rape gangs, which were covered up because the perpetrators were mainly of Pakistani origin.
“Keir Starmer called on Adolescence to be shown in every school. This is factual, not a drama, so will he join me in calling for this to be shown in every school and every police force?
“If he doesn’t, then he will be guilty of two-tier standards and two-tier telly.”
Sir Keir’s spokesman said the government has “already taken significant action” and the findings from the documentary were “not new”.
The spokesman added: “Obviously anything that brings more focus on the scandal is welcome and supports the government’s action in this space.”
In January, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to undertake a three-month rapid review into the grooming scandal.
But last night it emerged she had already started her separate role as the government’s reviewer into the social care crisis.
Downing Street previously said that the peer would complete her work on grooming gangs before starting in the Department for Health.
Home Office sources insisted Baroness Casey had finished her audit and was just in the final stages of writing her report.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir was last night fighting to hold off Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in the by-election for the Runcorn and Helsby seat at Westminster.
The by-election is Sir Keir’s first big electoral test since the general election, with all parties battling for 1,600 council seats and six directly-elected mayors — with the Tories expecting a difficult night.
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