In a fiery exchange that dominated the first PMQs of 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was criticized by liberal leader Kemi Badenoch over his inability to release a federal investigation into the styling gangs scandal. The showdown saw Badenoch accusing Starmer of brushing aside the issue of accountability, as she called for a fresh investigation into the systematic abuse, supported by an unexpected ally—Elon Musk.
Badenoch’s concern to the PM
Badenoch opened her doubting with a somber note about the “decades-long murder groups incident” that still pisses residents of communities across the UK. ” There are thousands of victims, but no one has joined the lines or has the complete image. It is almost certainly also going on”, she said, demanding responses from the PM about whether the “full amount” of the groups ‘ engagement had been uncovered.
Starmer’s defensive position
Starmer, nevertheless, took a defense stance, citing several local and national questions that have already been conducted. He emphasized the necessity of taking actions based on the already-gathered data rather than furthering investigations. What is required today is taking actions on what we already know, according to Starmer. But Badenoch wasn’t backing over.
Badenoch accuses Starmer of cover-up
She responded,” The issue is that these earlier inquiries have never held people accountable in a significant way.” A federal investigation is important because it will hold people accountable in a way that earlier inquiries have failed, according to one target from Telford. Her thoughts rang with intensity, a desire for justice that could no longer be ignored.
The’ Bandwagon-jumping’ allegation
Badenoch’s problem became more figured as she pressed Starmer:” The PM called for nine questions in the last Parliament. Does he not realize that those who resist this one will start to worry about a cover-up? Starmer, unmoved, accused Badenoch of” jumping on the bandwagon”, claiming she had not raised the issue when she was in power as family’s secretary and women’s rights minister.
A head, not a solicitor
Badenoch responded quickly, declaring,” Become a leader, hardly a lawyer”. She reminded Starmer that the emphasis must be on the survivors, no political moving. ” This is not about you, Starmer, or your prior work with the Crown Prosecution Service. It’s about the subjects, the youngsters who have suffered in silence”.
Starmer’s wait strategy: Another investigation?
Starmer once made an attempt to divert, claiming that a long investigation would put an end to justice until 2031, but Badenoch was not doing so. ” Smaller queries are achievable. She argued that the federal investigation may address the racial and cultural intentions behind the abuse, which has frequently been downplayed, without repeating what has already been done.
The history of the previous state
The two leaders had previously fought over previous state steps, with Badenoch criticizing Starmer for his opposition to the Conservatives ‘ work. ” He knows full well we accepted 18 of the 20 tips in the Jay Inquiry and went further, launching a criminals taskforce”, she retorted. Despite this, Starmer accused the Tories of failing to act on those very advice, insisting his group had been “acting” while the Conservatives only” said and talked”.
The important question: doing the proper thing?
When Badenoch rebuffed the demands,” How are Members going to explain to their constituents that obeying the whip is more critical than doing the right factor”? Starmer, stung by her words, snapped up, accusing the Tories of “bandwagon-jumping” and labeling their view “misguided” and” short-sighted”.
Elon Musk joins the debate
Amidst the back-and-forth, an improbable find weighed in on the conversation. Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul and proprietor of X, backed Badenoch’s call for action, using his system to bring notice to the incident. In a blog that quickly gained popularity, Musk wrote,” Please contact your member of parliament and show them that the hundreds of thousands of young women in Britain who were, and are still being carefully, terribly gang-raped need some justice in this world.”
Musk’s help: A call for righteousness
” This is critically important, or it will only stay happening”, Musk added, aligning himself with Badenoch’s approach and bolstering her desire for a federal investigation.
