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Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has been granted core participant status at the grooming gangs inquiry he ordered in 2025, meaning he could be summoned to give evidence at its hearings.
The inquiry’s hearings are due to begin in December.
Core participant status is granted by the inquiry’s chairwoman under public inquiry rules.
It places Sir Keir among the people, groups and organisations formally given special status and rights to take part in the investigation.
Many core participants are asked or compelled to give evidence, although the status does not automatically mean that Sir Keir will be required to do so.
The £65 million, three-year inquiry is being led by Baroness Anne Longfield, the former children’s commissioner for England.
It has the legal powers to compel witnesses to give evidence and to require organisations to hand over documents.
The inquiry is examining areas across Britain, including Birmingham, Bradford, Keighley, London, Oldham and parts of Wales, where serious failures have been identified in the response to child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs.
The government faced a stream of criticism over its handling of the probe, which has been hit by scandal.
Sir Keir initially resisted calls for a national inquiry in 2025.
The pressure for one came after tech billionaire Elon Musk sparked a political row by using his X social media platform to attack the then-prime minister over the long-running scandal.
After the U-turn on ordering the inquiry, efforts to set up the body and start work were fraught with delays, resignations and rows about its scope.
During his election campaign as he bid for the Labour leadership, now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham insisted he “acted immediately” on grooming gangs while he was mayor of Greater Manchester and criticised others for manipulating the facts.
If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call Childline free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331.