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Maggie Oliver blasts Keir Starmer's 'empty promises' after announcing grooming gangs inquiry
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Jun 16, 2025
Prolific grooming gangs whistleblower and campaigner Maggie Oliver has torn apart Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's U-turn on a national inquiry, labelling the call as an "empty promise".Speaking to GB News, Oliver was joined by grooming gang survivors Jade and Chantelle, as they criticised the Labour Government's decision.FULL STORY HERE.
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0:00
Are you confident this is going to happen, Chantel
0:02
No, I feel like we'll get so far into it, things will get covered up
0:08
They're not going to be truthfully honest in any of it. There's no reason for this national inquiry
0:13
Put the recommendations in place, what we've already spent a lot of money on. You know, I just feel like we're going round in the same circle
0:21
And, Jade, a lot of people think that the previous inquiry didn't look into this issue properly
0:26
just a couple of weeks looking at grooming gangs. there's never been an inquiry where you're from in High Wycombe, for example
0:32
No, never. Are you hoping that people might now be forced to give evidence
0:37
and get justice when they haven't previously? I'm hoping so. I'm hoping it does do something
0:43
but I hope there's no faith there. There's literally no faith at all with them
0:48
Because you've both been let down so many times. Isn't that right, Chantel
0:53
Yeah. Just to give our audience an understanding, I think even though it's been many years of this channel
0:57
and many others talking about this issue, people still don't understand truly how horrific this is
1:03
Could you share your story with us, please, Chantelle? So I was 11 years old in the care of the local authority
1:09
at Manchester Social Services. I was in numerous children's zones. I was abused from the age of 11 up until the age of 15
1:19
I've been fighting throughout all my adult life for justice, you know
1:24
I feel like I'm never going to see justice. And even now with this inquiry, you're not confident
1:29
because the authorities have just failed to help you so many times? Yeah, just feel a huge letdown
1:34
I'm so sorry. And Jade, could you share your story with us, please? Because what you endured is quite unique
1:40
insofar as you were criminalised yourself. Yes. It started when I was 14
1:45
They'll get you drunk, take you to hotels, take you to taxi bases
1:48
and just pass you on through their whole family. and then I got put on police protection, untold times
1:58
for high-risk sexual exploitation and then 18 days after, the last time I got put on it
2:05
I got arrested for actually being a perpetrator. So it's like a victim, 18 days later, perpetrator
2:12
And I think it's important to say, Charlie, that what happened in those 18 days was she turned from 15 to 16
2:18
so suddenly she goes from a victim to a perpetrator. Nobody took action when she was a victim
2:24
a little girl who was being raped on a daily basis. Suddenly at 16, she's an easy target
2:30
She went to prison, you know, she can't go on school trips with her kids
2:34
She has to sign on the sexual offenders register. She was a child Um sorry I just had to clarify that point No please And Maggie you been working with survivors for decades now First as a police officer as a detective constable
2:48
when your senior officers at gold-level meetings were ripping up reports and ignoring this issue
2:53
and now, after doing your whistleblowing, as a campaigner who supports them
2:58
Jade and Chantel, their stories are not isolated. No. We're aware of hundreds, thousands who've had this experience
3:05
Yeah, in our charity, the Maggie Oliver Foundation, we've helped nearly 5,000 in the past six years
3:12
Jade and Chantel are examples of hundreds of children that I have spoken to, which was why I resigned
3:19
So, and I've been banging this drum for years. So we get an announcement today as though this is something brand new
3:28
It's not brand new. And Keir Starmer knew. The government knew. I've just heard the Shadow Home Secretary
3:35
He was in, you know, the Conservatives were in government for years. This is a party political football
3:41
This is not a political football. This is children's lives. Jade and Chantel, I think you're some of the bravest women
3:49
that this channel's ever heard from. But today, as you bring forward your bravery
3:54
and challenge the authorities on this, do you feel as though politicians are using your stories
4:01
as a bit of a football to have an argument and saying, we did this, we did that, you failed, you failed
4:06
when actually they should just be bringing you guys forward. They should be working their best now to make things right
4:12
and get justice, like, for us, you know. I feel like they all knew what was going on
4:19
The police, social services, people need to be held accountable. I want to see police officers charged
4:25
I want to see social workers charged. I have had my childhood ruined
4:29
I am now an adult. And I'm still going through the same
4:33
I'm hurting. Like, it's traumatising. I just want to say to people that abuse me
4:40
what's up, you know? What is so hard about going out? You know who they are
4:45
You've arrested them. I've picked them out on ID page, you know
4:48
They should be in prison. I'm living my life. Every day struggling, it's an ongoing battle
4:55
Yet they're living their normal lives out there. Why am I suffering and they're not
4:59
It's just the most horrendous experience, and it's a life of suffering, as you say
5:04
But last night, the government said they'll give survivors the opportunity to reopen closed cases
5:10
They said they've found over 800 since January. Are you going to take on that opportunity
5:15
Do you think that more survivors... I wouldn't recommend anyone. The pain the lies the trauma everything they put you through is not worth doing If I could go back six years I would not have started working with him If I knew this is what I was going to have to do
5:31
how much longer am I going to be working with Great Manchester Police to get just six years
5:36
I mean, I want to clarify there, Charlie, that Chantel was a victim on Operation Augusta in 2004 and 2005
5:44
That case was closed down because the Gold Command Group, as you just said, closed that down
5:48
They just decided they wouldn't put resources in, and that's the official findings. Chantel was re-approached in 2019
5:54
by the new investigation, Operation Green Jacket, that they were forced to reopen
5:59
Six years on, Chantel is still waiting for her abusers to be charged
6:03
Another six years of her life, and she was told last week it's going to be at least another nine months before the CPS see it
6:10
It might be four years before it gets to trial, if it ever does. That's another ten years of her life that she's lost
6:15
The process is so slow, it does not put survivors at the forefront and their experiences
6:20
So what do survivors like Chantel, like Jay, what do they need
6:23
Well, you know what, Charlie, when they're announcing the NCA, OK, empty words, a PR exercise
6:31
Those officers in the NCA, in the police, they're on their knees
6:35
There are not enough. There are no resources. The government are backed in a corner
6:40
They know that the cat is out of the bag. They're empty promises and actually promising survivors and victims
6:45
They're going to reopen 250, 500 cases. Where are they going to get the officers to do it
6:51
So they're not doing victims and survivors any favours. They're going to put them in the position that Chantal is in
6:57
So unless you put money in and resources and training and commitment, this is just, you know, hot air
7:04
And I have heard these promises so many times that I am sick and tired of it
7:09
But what I would say is that Baroness Casey came to me
7:13
I met her in February. Sceptical, I've been there, I've spoke to everybody
7:19
But she really impressed me. I spent two or three hours. She knows that I call it as it is, and yet she came back
7:27
and she asked me to bring together a group of survivors. These two girls were two of those
7:31
and that's why her report has been delayed, because she listened to ten people
7:36
She was virtually in tears when she heard these stories. That's what those at the top need to hear
7:42
So I want to see Baroness Casey leading this inquiry. I don't really have any faith in it, but with her at the helm
7:49
I think we all felt that she listened. Am I right? I feel like, yeah, she did listen to us, but I don't have no faith
7:57
Fine. I don't... And Jade so many survivors we heard they come forward and they actually been worried that they be called racist due to the ethnicity of many of the perpetrators You extremely brave because you know like Chantel you public Is that something that made you want to hold back in the past before No it
8:15
got nothing to do with race. Everyone knows that there's white people, all races out there
8:20
that do horrible things to young people. Absolutely. But we're trying to say our experience, it
8:25
was all, it all happened by that one race. By Pakistani men? Yeah. I mean, what I would
8:31
say there, Charlie, is that the Maggiola Foundation today is issuing judicial review proceedings
8:37
against the government to implement the 20 recommendations of the last national inquiry
8:43
One of those recommendations, none of which have been put into place
8:48
is that we gather ethnicity, religion, culture, profession of every sexual offender. That is desperately
8:55
needed. That's the first thing. And that's something that Baroness Casey has been capturing
8:59
and we might see that this afternoon. I really, really hope so. I've put my faith in Baroness Casey
9:05
I will be devastated if she doesn't do these girls justice. I do believe she will
9:09
I spoke to her on Saturday. I don't know everything that's in the report
9:14
But, you know, things like a Minister for Children in the Cabinet, that's not going to cost money
9:18
Absolutely, yeah. You know, no paying compliance of children. You know, that's what I'm calling for, to start with
9:25
Jay, just very quickly, what would you like to say to the Prime Minister on this announcement today
9:31
I haven't actually got any nice words to say, because he should have done it in January
9:35
instead of saying it was far right. Why now? Why now? Just because Baroness Casey has been a reporter
9:40
and you feel like you have to. Why didn't he come to us and say, I've watched a documentary, what would you like
9:46
He hasn't. It's like we're nothing to him, you know? We're here, we're trying to make it known
9:52
we're trying to make awareness, we're trying to get justice. What's he doing, another inquiry
9:58
when he's not going to put nothing in play? Do you know? Come and speak to us, see what we want to do
10:03
There are many more survivors to hear from and your voices, I think, will be central as we go forward
10:08
and really hold feet to fire on this because as this inquiry is launched
10:11
I know that GB News will be absolutely on top of it, making sure that what you guys want to see
10:16
and what the many women and girls around the country want to see in this inquiry is at the centre of it
10:21
Maggie, Chantelle, Jade, thank you so much for joining us on GB News
10:25
Thank you, Carla. Thank you. Thank you. Right, well, the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper
10:29
has released this statement. She said that the vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men
10:36
have now grown into brave women, isn't that right, they're with us today, who are rightly demanding justice
10:40
for what they went through when they were just children. Not enough people listened to them then
10:45
That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now
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