In a move that reeks of political theatre, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proudly touted his government's ban on high-caffeine energy drinks for under-16s as a bold step in safeguarding children's health. Yet, as families across Britain grapple with the horrors of grooming gangs that have preyed on vulnerable kids for years, Starmer's administration drags its feet on a promised national inquiry—failing even to appoint a chair or set a start date. This glaring hypocrisy exposes a Labour government more interested in low-hanging fruit like fizzy drinks than tackling the systemic failures that allow child exploitation to flourish. If Starmer truly cares about protecting kids, why the deafening silence on grooming gangs?
The Energy Drinks Ban: A Quick Win for Starmer's PR Machine
Let's start with the so-called "victory" Starmer is so eager to claim. On September 2, 2025, the Labour government announced a ban on selling high-caffeine energy drinks—think Red Bull, Monster, and Prime—to anyone under 16 in England. Health Secretary Wes Streeting hailed it as a measure to combat childhood obesity, anxiety, and sleep disruption, with the policy set to make it illegal for retailers to sell drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to minors.
Starmer himself took to X (formerly Twitter) to boast: "We're stopping shops from selling high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16s." It's a policy that originated from Labour's election manifesto in June 2024, and now, just months into his premiership, it's being rolled out with fanfare. Proponents argue it addresses real issues: excessive caffeine can harm developing brains and bodies, contributing to poor concentration and health problems in youth.
But let's be real—this is hardly groundbreaking child protection. Banning a can of Monster is easy; it costs little politically and scores points with health campaigners. Starmer's pride in this minor tweak to retail laws stands in stark, shameful contrast to his inaction on far graver threats to children's safety.
The Grooming Gangs Inquiry: Promises Made, Progress Stalled
Flash back to June 2025: Under mounting pressure from victims' advocates, opposition figures, and even international critics like Elon Musk, Starmer performed a dramatic U-turn and announced a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs. These gangs, infamous for systematically exploiting and abusing thousands of children in towns like Rochdale, Rotherham, and Oldham, represent one of the UK's most egregious child protection scandals. Starmer promised a probe with the power to compel witnesses and uncover institutional failures—echoing his own past as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), where he claims credit for prosecuting some of these cases.
Yet, here we are in September 2025, and what has happened? Absolutely nothing of substance. No chair has been appointed to lead the inquiry. No terms of reference have been finalised. No start date has been set. Home Office Minister Jess Phillips admitted in Parliament that the appointment process is only in its "final stages," prompting accusations from critics like Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp that Labour has made "almost no progress."
This delay is not just bureaucratic red tape; it's a betrayal of victims who have waited years for justice. Whistleblowers and survivors, like those from Operation Augusta in Manchester, continue to decry the government's foot-dragging. Starmer's record as DPP has already faced scrutiny for alleged failures in handling these cases, and this latest inaction only fuels the fire. How can a leader who positions himself as a champion of child safety celebrate banning caffeine while letting an inquiry into real, predatory abuse gather dust?
Misplaced Priorities: Energy Drinks Over Exploitation?
The hypocrisy is staggering. On one hand, Starmer's government rushes to regulate energy drinks, citing concerns over children's mental and physical health. On the other, it stalls on an inquiry that could expose and prevent the kind of exploitation that scars lives forever. Grooming gangs aren't a hypothetical risk—they've destroyed countless childhoods through rape, trafficking, and abuse, often enabled by institutional blindness.
Critics argue this reflects Labour's broader child protection failures. While Starmer defends his past actions against "those spreading lies," the reality is damning: Victims' groups and whistleblowers like Maggie Oliver have called him "guilty as anyone" for systemic oversights. Elon Musk's public jabs earlier this year forced Starmer's hand on the inquiry, but without follow-through, it's all empty rhetoric.
This isn't about politics; it's about priorities. Banning energy drinks might make headlines, but it does nothing for the girls groomed and abused under the watch of authorities. Starmer's delay on the inquiry sends a chilling message: Some threats to kids are worth tackling swiftly, while others can wait indefinitely.
Time for Accountability: Starmer Must Act Now
Keir Starmer's child protection agenda is a farce—a shiny ban on energy drinks masking a rotten core of inaction on grooming gangs. Victims deserve better than platitudes and procrastination. Appoint a chair. Set a date. Start the inquiry. Anything less is an outrageous abdication of duty.
If Starmer wants to be seen as a protector of children, he must match his words with urgent action. Until then, his hypocrisy will continue to erode public trust in a government that talks tough on caffeine but goes soft on predators. Britain’s kids can’t afford this double standard.
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