‘Utterly spineless’
The prime minister and MPs called on Nigel Farage to condemn a Reform councillor’s comments calling children in care “downright evil”.
But Farage said he only had 30 seconds to ask a question at PMQs, and refused to comment.
Darren Paffey, the Labour MP for Southampton Itchen, used his question at PMQs to mark Care Leavers’ month.
Paffey said that while the government is taking “real action” to support care leavers, “a Reform councillor has disgracefully described children in care as ‘downright evil’”.
“Will the prime minister and I hope the whole house join me in condemning Reform’s vile rhetoric, and will he reassure us that this Labour government will continue to support the protections and opportunities for all our care leavers?”.
Andy Osborn, a Reform councillor on Cambridgeshire County Council and a former member of the children and young people committee, told councillors that some children in care were “not just naughty children, they can be downright evil”.
He also suggested that they had learned harmful behaviours from “bad parents”.
Osborn was subsequently put under investigation by the council due to his comments. Reform’s group leader on the council, James Sidlow, called Osborn’s remarks “clumsy and regrettable” and removed him from the committee.
Starmer said the government is committed to supporting children in care and that Labour’s children’s wellbeing bill will require every local authority to help care leavers find secure accommodation.
The PM added: “The comments about children in care being evil are utterly appalling. Now the Member for Clacton has heard them, I’m sure he’ll want to condemn them right now.”
Farage’s PMQ followed this comment. As the Reform leader rose to ask his question, multiple MPs called out “condemn them” and “just say it”.
When Farage rose to ask about asylum hotels, MPs heckled him to “condemn them”. Farage replied: “I’ve only got 30 seconds.”
He then questioned Starmer on closing migrant hotels, saying Reform-led West Northamptonshire Council was preparing to issue four closure notices on three hotels due to “grave public concern about the safety of women and girls on the streets of West Northamptonshire”.
The prime minister said the government will continue to close the hotels. He then shot back at Farage’s failure to call out his councillor’s comments: “He says he doesn’t have time to condemn the comments calling children in care ‘evil’.
“He’s also not had time, it appears, to condemn the racist comments of his own MP. Utterly spineless.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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