KEIR Starmer is “as guilty as anyone” over grooming gangs escaping justice, a whistleblower has claimed.

Ex-detective Maggie Oliver has called for a fresh and “totally independent” investigation into the decades of abuse of British girls by gangs in towns and cities across the country.

The former Greater Manchester Police detective helped uncover widespread abuse by grooming gangs in Rochdale.

Previous reports have been published into the failures of the police and local councils to prevent horrific abuse in towns such as Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford.

It was revealed that officers and prosecutors avoided taking action for fear of being called racist or Islamophobic.

But there are growing calls for a statutory national investigation to examine wider failings, including by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

With a row exploding over Labour’s rejection of repeated requests for a Home Office-led inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham, Oliver has said Starmer has questions to answer.

The Prime Minister was director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013.

In the face of fresh Tory calls for an Inquiry, Oliver said Labour and the Conservatives were “equally to blame” for failing to get to grips with the scandal.

Oliver said on X, formerly Twitter, that inquiries into what happened have led “absolutely nowhere” and “wasted” millions of pounds, adding that those leading them “have always wanted to cover up the truth”.

She went on: “I firmly believe we need totally independent people who will ensure it’s not just another attempt to delay and hide the truth. Radical change and overhaul of all our public bodies.

“And bring in criminal accountability for all our senior police and public officials who have turned a blind eye.

“Those with vested interests who pop up when this hits the headlines then fade away again when it all dies down will not bring change. They’re in it for themselves I believe.

“Conservatives and Labour are all equally to blame imo (in my opinion), and Keir Starmer as former DPP is perhaps as guilty as anyone I know in where we find ourselves today.

“We all know what’s going on, but I don’t trust a single one of those who to date have been entrusted with keeping our children safe and prosecuting serial rapists.

“They’ve failed. Repeatedly. Knowingly. Criminally.”

Starmer has addressed the CPS’s failings over the scandals in the past.

The PM has admitted vulnerable girls were let down while he was in charge when a case was dropped against a rape suspect despite overwhelming evidence pointing to their guilt.

Starmer has also come under serious fire from across the Atlantic over the scandal this week after his party’s refusal to launch an Inquiry came to light.

Leading the row has been X owner and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk, who has said Starmer was “complicit” in the “worst mass crime in the history of Britain” and has shared posts calling on King Charles to dissolve Parliament.

Musk has also called for the imprisonment of Labour Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips – and though the party’s top brass have largely stayed silent on his comments, Wes Streeting addressed them directly on Friday.

A Labour spokesman said: “We will welcome and support an independent investigation commissioned by Oldham council which puts victims’ voices at its heart, following the examples of Telford and Rotherham.”

On Friday, Wes Streeting branded Mr Musk’s comments “misjudged and certainly misinformed”.

Asked about the row, Mr Streeting told ITV: “This Government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the inquiry into child sexual abuse. We will do that in full.

“We will get on with the job. And some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think, are misjudged and certainly misinformed.”

He added: “We’re willing to work with Elon Musk, who I think has got a big role to play with his social media platform to help us and other countries to tackle this serious issue so if he wants to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we’d welcome that.”