Jess Phillips appears to have signalled a big u-turn on grooming gang inquiries, suggesting “nothing is off the table” less than a week after she ruled one out.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast this morning, the safeguarding minister at the Home Office said she may consider a new inquiry if victims tell her it’s what they want.
She also suggested she doesn’t need another inquiry to know some people involved in the cover up of horrific sex crimes against children should be sent to prison.
She told Sky’s Beth Rigby: “Nothing is off the table. Nothing is off the table.”
“If the victims come forward to me in this victims panel that I will make, and they say ‘actually we think there needs to be a national inquiry into this’, I’ll listen to them.”
However she blasted: “I’m not going to – I refuse – to allow years of experience in safeguarding, basing what I know on evidence, I refuse to make government decisions on the basis of a row”.
Last night Ms Phillips suggested that Elon Musk’s recent claims against her on X were compromising her own safety.
MORE TO COME…