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16 hours ago
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Cabinet ministers have ramped up attacks on Conservative “bandwagon jumping” over child rape gangs during furious exchanges in the Commons as the government easily saw off a Tory attempt to force a new inquiry.
Amid continued pressure, No 10 appeared to slightly soften its position on the idea of a second inquiry into grooming gangs, echoing the words of the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, in saying Keir Starmer was open to hearing the views of victims.
But Labour MPs and ministers lambasted the Conservatives for their attempt to kill the child wellbeing and schools bill by tabling an amendment that would force a national inquiry, blocking the bill at the same time.
After a sometimes bitter debate, the amendment was defeated by 364 votes to 111, a majority of 253.
However, Labour MPs told the Guardian they feared being subject to threats because of Conservative attack adverts, which said they had blocked an inquiry into grooming gangs by voting against the amendment.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said the Conservative amendment was “shameful” and that it would have stopped vital child protection measures in the bill.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, told the Guardian that the Conservatives were in a “bad place” and that “plenty of Conservative MPs are looking pretty embarrassed at what was being said by their party leader”, Kemi Badenoch.
During the debate, relatively few Tory MPs mentioned Badenoch’s call for an inquiry, mainly focusing on changes to the schools’ curriculum and academy chains contained in the bill, which were also the main subject of the speech by Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary.
Earlier in prime minister’s questions, Starmer accused Badenoch of only taking an interest in grooming gangs after Elon Musk repeatedly tweeted about it.
“She met her recently acquired view that it’s a scandal, having spent a lot of time on social media over Christmas,” the prime minister told the Conservative leader. “Not once in eight years did she stand here and say what she just said.”
Starmer accused Badenoch, who had said resisting a new inquiry into the issue would spark speculation about a “cover-up” in government, of being more interested in “tweeting and talking”.
Noting that Badenoch had been children’s minister among other roles in the last government, Starmer said he was not aware of the Tory leader having previously raised in the Commons the subject of sexual abuse gangs.
“It’s only in recent days she’s jumped on the bandwagon,” he said. “If I’m wrong about that, and she has raised it, then I invite her to say that now, and I will happily withdraw the remark.”
A government source said: “Tory MPs were squirming during PMQs and it’s clear from the total absence of all but the biggest blowhards from the chamber that there is zero appetite among them for this disgraceful bandwagon-jumping. You needn’t even read what Laura Trott said in her remarks to know she’s ashamed at having to front it. Just look at her face.”
Labour also launched an attack on the Conservatives for soliciting donations to the party via an email circulating a petition for a rape gangs inquiry. A party spokesperson said: “This shows breathtaking disrespect to brave victims who are being used as a political football by the Conservatives.”
On Wednesday, Badenoch’s spokesperson was forced to admit she had not met any survivors of sexual violence and grooming gangs.
Among those criticising the language used by Conservative and Reform MPs was Labour’s MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, a long-time campaigner on rape gangs, who also urged MPs to push for more recommendations from the wide-ranging child sexual abuse review to be included in the bill in later stages.
Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, and another of the party’s MPs, Rupert Lowe, demanded that a new inquiry focus specifically on men of Pakistani origin targeting white girls, not on other ethnicities.
“This is not a bandwagon of the far right. This is about ensuring swift and brutal justice to these demons,” Lowe said. He spelled out a list of demands for an inquiry to answer, referring to them as “foreign rapists”.
Champion said she was “disgusted by what the honourable gentleman has just said. Can you imagine if you are a victim or survivor listening to that? I’m sure his intent is to get to the truth and justice. But the language – please think about who hears our words,” she said.
