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Nigel Farage pledges to launch Reform's own inquiry into grooming gangs scandal
7 January 2025, 09:48 | Updated: 7 January 2025, 10:25
Nigel Farage has told LBC that Reform UK will launch its own inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal if Labour refuse to investigate themselves.
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Mr Farage told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast that if the government hadn't launched an inquiry into the mass rape of young girls in towns across England by the end of January, then Reform would step in.
The Reform leader said there was "overwhelming demand" for the public to know the "full, unvarnished truth" of the scandal. Many of the rapists were Pakistani-origin men, and many of the victims were white. Mr Farage said the attacks were racist.
Labour have said there won't be an inquiry as there already has been one. Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told Nick on Tuesday that British people want "less talk, more action".
The latest furore began after Twitter owner Elon Musk pushed for more action on the scandal over the Christmas period.
'Free speech should be able to offend many': Nigel Farage response to LBC listener
Mr Farage said: "If the government will not hold a full public inquiry… I’ll say this to you now. If they don’t do it, we at Reform will do it. We’ll have no difficulty in raising the money to do this whatsoever."
He said that Reform would :appoint independent ex-judges and experts to have this out in public."
The right-winger admitted that Reform wouldn't have the statutory powers to compel people to appear at the inquiry but that "this would garner such massive public support that anyone who would ask to appear that didn’t appear would look terrible."
Asked how long he would give Labour before starting his own inquiry, Mr Farage said: "We’ve probably got a few weeks but no more than that.
"I think there is now overwhelming demand for us to know the full, unvarnished truth, however horrid it may be.
Asked if he would give Labour until the end of January, he said: "Effectively, yes."
Nigel Farage praises Elon Musk
Mr Farage added: "I promise you I can raise the money today - not from Elon Musk either. I can raise the money today, and we can do this, and I mean it, and I think that the government will know that when I say something I mean it.
Addressing the Labour government, he said: "I tell you what guys - get on and just do it."
Mr Farage said that the extent of the assaults in towns such as Rotherham were covered up at the time out of fear of appearing racist.
"The irony is that the attacks themselves were racist," he added. "This was anti-white female racism, of that I have not doubt."
Keir Starmer triggered a backlash after saying calls for an inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal were from people jumping on a "far-right bandwagon".
Appearing on LBC, grooming gangs whistleblower Maggie Oliver said of Sir Keir: "The comments he made yesterday really made me feel that he is out of touch with the mood of the country.
"Yet again, people now know what's happened - you know those years ago, nobody did."
Mr Farage said that losing Mr Musk's support would harm Reform but that the relationship could be mended.
The Reform leader said he would be in the United States "for a good four or five days" for Donald Trump's inauguration as president, during which time he would meet billionaire Mr Musk.
Mr Farage said: "I have no desire to go to war with Elon Musk and I'm not going to, and I haven't done. I'm a huge admirer of him, I think he's an heroic figure."
Asked whether losing his support would weaken Reform UK, Mr Farage said: "Not having Elon's support would damage us with that younger generation because he kind of makes us look cool, so I'm being frank about that and I am confident that whatever has been said, we can mend. I really think we can."
He added: "It's not crucial. I mean look, if I was to embrace, as it looks like I was being urged to do, the sort of violent thuggish people like (Tommy) Robinson, that would do our party immense harm, and probably rightly so.
"So the fact that I've stood up on a point of principle, even if in the short term its to my detriment, in the long run may even work in our favour.
"Of course I want his support, of course I will talk to him in America in a few days' time, of course I want to mend any broken fences that might exist. I'm sure we can do it."
