Reeves: 'Ministers never dismissed the concerns of victims'

 Reeves: 'Ministers never dismissed the concerns of victims'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended the government's decision to launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs after months of pressure.

Reeves, speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, insisted that ministers "never dismissed the concerns of victims" of grooming gangs.

She defended Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has faced criticism for resisting calls for such an inquiry, by saying he was doing "everything that was necessary".

The Conservatives claim they forced Starmer into a U-turn on an inquiry.

"Our prime minister has always been really focused on the victims, and not grandstanding but actually doing the practical things to ensure something like this never happens again," she said.