SIR KEIR STARMER must launch an inquiry into the scale of harm caused by online suicide forums, survivors and families said today.

It comes as government departments received at least 65 warnings about the risks posed by such forums but failed to act, according to a new report.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, bereaved families said their “loved ones were let down by a state that was too slow to respond to the threats, which despite multiple warnings has failed to act to save lives and prevent harm.”

They added: “This series of failings requires a statutory response … not just to understand why our loved ones died, but also to prevent more lives being lost in a similar way.”

The report, by the Molly Rose Foundation and Families And Survivors To Prevent Online Suicide Harms, warned about a website that encourages vulnerable people to take their own lives.

Coroners have raised concerns about either the site or a related poisonous substance linked to at least 133 deaths, contacting departments including the Home Office and the Department of Health 65 times since 2019.

Molly Rose Foundation chief executive Andy Burrows said: “Repeated failures of the state to protect its vulnerable citizens mean that the nihilistic potential of a suicide forum has cost countless lives.

“Nothing less than a public inquiry is now needed.”

Leigh Day partner Merry Varney, representing seven families, said: “With over 100 lives being lost and tens of prevention of future death reports issued, a statutory public inquiry is urgently required.”

The government said online services “must take action to prevent users from accessing illegal suicide and self-harm content,” warning that failure to do so could result in “substantial fines.”