MPs could be heard saying “it’s absolutely disgraceful” and “shame” in response to Kemi Badenoch’s weaponisation of the issue at PMQs
Kemi Badenoch tried to weaponise the grooming gangs scandal at Prime Minister’s Questions again today.
The Tory leader questioned Keir Starmer over the resignation of four survivors from the government’s grooming gang panel this week.
Quoting one survivor, Fiona, Badenoch said: “‘Being dismissed and contradicted by a minister when you’re telling the truth takes you right back to that feeling of not being believed all over again. What’s the point of speaking up if we’re just going to be called liars?’”.
Starmer called the grooming gang scandal “one of the worst scandals of our time”, acknowledging that survivors “have been ignored by the state, which of course is supposed to protect them”.
“My vow to Fiona and them is that this national inquiry will change that,” he stated.
Starmer acknowledged that some members of the panel had resigned in recent days, but said if they wish to return “the door will always be open”.
Starmer gave his assurances that the inquiry will never be watered down and that it will examine the ethnicity and religion of offenders.
Badenoch said she doubted Fiona would be satisfied with the answer. “He says that they can return if they wish to, why would they do that? The government has been engaged in a briefing war against survivors.”
MPs could be heard saying: “It’s absolutely disgraceful” and “shame” in response to Badenoch’s comment.
Badenoch then claimed that Labour MPs had shouted “shame” at the survivors’ words, rather than her comments.
Badenoch then tried to challenge Starmer over Labour’s decision to vote against a national grooming gang inquiry earlier this year.
However, the Tories chose not to launch a national inquiry during their 14 years in power.
Starmer also pointed out that the Tories had voted against mandatory reporting on child sex abuse, which was a key finding of Professor Alexis Jay’s 2022 inquiry.
The Tories failed to implement mandatory reporting.
Badenoch said Starmer should “hang his head in shame” for describing Tory criticisms of the grooming gangs as “a far-right bandwagon”.
The Tory leader claimed Labour is “trying to suppress the truth” and that Labour ministers are “attacking” survivors, while her party is standing up for them.
Starmer responded: “My priorities are listening to and standing up for the survivors, that’s why we’re doing the work on the inquiry, that’s why we’ve reopened the criminal cases, why we’ve brought in mandatory reporting.”
The prime minister pointed out the Tories’ failure to deal with the grooming gangs scandal while they were in government.
“I would gently remind them, they had 14 years in office. They barely mentioned this issue and where there were inquiries, they failed to act on them.”
“We have done more in the time we’ve been in office than they did in 14 long years,” he added.
Badenoch, who has been an MP since 2017 and was Women and Equalities minister between 2022 and 2024, did not raise the issue of grooming gangs in Parliament until this year.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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