Prime Minister Keir Starmer responds to Gazette's call for national public inquiry into Preston Davey failings
Sir Keir Starmer agreed “that we need to collectively learn lessons to prevent such tragedies from happening again”.
The current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has officially responded to calls from the Blackpool Gazette and its supporters for a call for a national public inquiry into the safeguarding failures that cost little Preston Davey his life.
The Gazette and sister title the Lancashire Post back by Blackpool MP Chris Webb and a host of high profile campaigners including global superstar Ellie Goulding, Carrie Johnson the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Oscar winner Olivia Colman have been calling for a national public inquiry to ensure the 'catastrophic failures' to protect 13-month-old Preston are identified and action is taking to protect every other child who comes after.
Sir Keir Starmer described Preston’s murder as “heartbreaking” and acknowledge it had “deeply affected people across this country and beyond”.
He said he absolutely agreed “that we need to collectively learn lessons to prevent such tragedies from happening again”.
Preston Davey deserved better. Demand a national public inquiry
Preston Davey deserved better
Preston Davey was just 13-months-old when he was murdered by the man who was in the process of adopting him. The man he came to know as ‘dad’.
In less than four months, little Preston was sexually assaulted, physically and emotionally abused, and left with 40 non-accidental injuries. He was taken to hospital three times. Social workers visited regularly. His abusers even admitted to having dark thoughts about him. And still, nothing stopped it.
Ex-South Shore Academy teacher Jamie Varley, 37, was given a whole life sentence for murder, child cruelty, sexual offences and indecent images relating to Preston. His now ex-partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was jailed for 25 years for allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and sexual assault.
His birth mother Sarah Davey, now 42, was just 14 years old when she and her friend — then known as Lisa Healey — were convicted of torturing 71-year-old widow Lily Lilley of West Street, Failsworth in 1998.
Sarah, who was in prison when she gave birth to Preston, has been released on licence numerous times since her first release in March 2013 but has been recalled for breaching the terms of her licence.
Preston was taken into care by Oldham Council and placed for adoption by regional adoption agency Adoption Now. Blackpool’s children’s services had no involvement in his safeguarding.
Preston was placed in Blackpool at the killer’s home in Staining Road, Staining.
But the question that has to be asked - and answered - is how a baby boy in the care of the state could be so badly let down by every system designed to protect him?
What did the Prime Minister say?
Sir Keir said: “Thank you for your recent letter about the horrific murder of Preston Davey. The circumstances of Preston’s death are heartbreaking and have deeply affected people across this country and beyond.
“The sheer brutality of his murder was shocking, and it is right that the evil abusers who committed those sickening crimes are in prison. We must do our best to remember Preston for the beautiful baby boy that he was.
“I absolutely agree that we need to collectively learn lessons to prevent such tragedies from happening again, and that is what we are doing. I can confirm that a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR) is now underway, having been paused due to the criminal proceedings.
“The LCSPR is being led by the local safeguarding partnership with the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel working closely alongside it. It is important that we wait until the conclusion of the LCSPR to understand what actions might have made a difference for Preston.
“Once the LCSPR is completed, the Panel will review the findings and consider whether there is learning of national significance required, or a need for a further national review or action.
“The Secretary of State for Education has also asked independent experts to look at the role of the agencies involved, including Oldham Council, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the Regional Adoption Agency, to ensure all lessons previously identified have been acted on.
“It has been an urgent priority for this Government to update legislation and reform the child protection and safeguarding system to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to keep children safe.
“I believe the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act represents the biggest upgrade to child protection legislation in a generation and, through this, we are strengthening the system’s ability to protect children from harm.
“The Government’s £2.4 billion Families First Partnership programme is building up support around families and establishing new, expert-led multi-agency child protection teams in every area. The Government is also establishing a new Child Protection Authority to protect children from abuse, identify emerging threats and help to ensure children are not failed by the authorities that are supposed to protect them.
“I can assure you that this Government is committed to doing everything within its power to learn from the tragic circumstances of Preston’s death and protect children and families from ever having to endure such suffering.”
Calls for national public inquiry
Calling for urgent action, signatories including the wife of former PM Boris Johnson Carrie Johnson, global superstar Ellie Goulding, 39, and Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, 52, say: 'The question that confronts us now is simple: how could this happen?'
The Gazette’s petition has so far been signed by more than 117,000 people, and along with celebrity campaigners we are calling for Sir Keir Starmer to set up a 'thorough and transparent' public national inquiry into the 'heartbreaking' series of missed opportunities to save 13-month-old Preston.
The letter was also signed by Sherwood star David Morrissey, campaigner Paula Hudgell, adoptive mother of Tony Hudgell, who had both legs amputated after abuse by his birth parents as a baby as well high profile campaigner Hetti Barkwood-Nanton, Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge and Laura Trott MP Shadow Education Secretary.
Blackpool MP Chris Webb has also raised the matter directly with No.10 and personally asked the Prime Minister to establish a national public inquiry.
Ellie Goulding and Carrie Johnson said: “As mothers of young children, we were horrified by the tragic death of little Preston Davey at the hands of those who were supposed to love and protect him.
“The details of his case are deeply distressing, not least because so many opportunities to intervene appear to have been missed.
“Serious questions remain about how this could have happened and whether similar failings are occurring elsewhere. That’s why we have signed this petition for a public national inquiry.”
Preston Davey deserved better. Demand a national public inquiry
What’s next?
The Gazette alongside its supporters will continue to fight for Preston and ensure no other child has to suffer a similar fate.
We plan to take the petition to Downing Street and fight until a national public inquiry is set up.
Vanessa Sims, editor of the Blackpool Gazette said: “We will be tireless in our fight to ensure lessons are learnt and to make sure no other child is affected by the catastrophic safeguarding failures that cost little Preston his life.
“Preston Davey deserved better.
“The Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review now underway is not enough to ensure these failures never happen again.
“We need a national public inquiry because we believe the failings exposed by Preston’s death are not isolated to one local authority.
“We continue to see the same systemic failures across the country - children known to social services, missed opportunities to act, poor information sharing, and failures to act despite repeat warning signs.
“We will not stop campaigning until the government takes action and does the right thing.”
Chris Webb, Blackpool MP said: “The public response to baby Preston’s case has been extraordinary and reflects the strength of feeling among a community, which is devastated by the loss of this little boy in such tragic circumstances.
"This campaign is about serious questions that remain unanswered about how Preston was so catastrophically failed by systems that existed to protect him.
“Preston deserved better, his family deserve answers and every vulnerable child in this country needs lessons to be learnt from this tragedy.
“I will continue working with the Blackpool Gazette, campaigners and supporters across the country until that happens."
What is the petition calling for?
The petition is calling on a national public inquiry to answer the following questions:
- Why were repeated warning signs - three hospital admissions, an abuser's own admission of dark thoughts, routine social worker contact - not acted on?
- Should children placed outside their home authority automatically be assigned a local social worker with direct oversight of their care?
- How are repeat hospital admissions for children in care shared between the NHS, the placing authority, and the authority where the child lives?
- Are adoption vetting procedures rigorous enough to stop prospective adopters hiding behind a false front?
We need you to sign this petition and demand the government acts.