Rochdale whistleblower Maggie Oliver has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, accusing him of “dodging the issue” by blaming far-right extremists for concerns over grooming gangs.
Speaking to GB News, Oliver dismissed Starmer’s recent defence as “empty words” and challenged him to “put his actions where his mouth is”.
The Labour Government is facing mounting pressure for a public inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation cases.
Sir Keir Starmer mounted a robust defence of his record yesterday, insisting he had tackled grooming gang issues “head on” during his time as director of public prosecutions.
Maggie Oliver hit out at the Labour leader for ‘dodging the issue’ of grooming gangs
PA / GB News
The Prime Minister insisted he would fight the “poison” from extremists, and claimed people demanding an inquiry are jumping on the “far-right bandwagon”.
The former detective, who resigned over the handling of the Rochdale grooming gang cases, directly challenged Starmer’s record as Director of Public Prosecutions.
“Blaming this problem on far-right extremists is actually dodging the issue. He was the Director of Public Prosecutions when I resigned from Rochdale,” Oliver said.
She revealed: “And I resigned because the charges that were being levelled at the predators and the abuses of those men.”
Keir Starmer has so far refused to back a national inquiry into the grooming gangsPAOliver detailed specific allegations about Starmer’s tenure as DPP, particularly regarding a case involving a 13-year-old victim.
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Oliver explained: “I knew what had happened to them because I’ve spoken to them all – being threatened at gunpoint, being passed around a room like a ball, and being raped on a daily basis.
“And he made the decision alongside the prosecutors that the man who got a 13-year-old pregnant didn’t face charges of rape.”
Oliver claimed they “put a child victim of that gang on the indictment so they could get her evidence into court without even telling her”.
She noted that ten years later, Manchester’s chief constable acknowledged the handling of the case was “borderline incompetence”.
Oliver told GB News that there is still a ‘long way to go’ in tackling grooming gangs
GB News
“To this day, the CPS refused to apologise for putting that victim on the indictment as a purely tactical option,” she added.
Oliver concluded: “We still have a long, long way to go. And so, words like yesterday, they again actually are blaming victims and abuse victims for standing up for their right to have their abusers tackled and dealt with properly.
“It’s smoke and mirrors, and I’ve heard these things so many times that I get really angry about it.”