North Tyneside Tories call for suspension of Labour councillor over grooming gang X post
The leader of North Tyneside's Conservative Group has called for the suspension of a Labour councillor over an X post relating to a council motion on grooming gangs.
North Tyneside councillor and leader of the Tory opposition Liam Bones has called on Labour's mayoral candidate Coun Karen Clark to suspend a Tynemouth colleague over comments on X relating to a council motion on calling on the government to launch a time-limited national inquiry into "rape gangs". The Tory motion was sparked by mounting criticism of the Labour government's decision to launch a nationwide review into grooming gangs and five-government backed local inquiries, as opposed to a nationwide inquiry.
While all Labour councillors present the meeting, held on Thursday, January 23, voted to back calls for a time-limited national inquiry, Tynemouth councillor Tom Bailey, had previously taken to X to criticise the motion as a far-right provocation.
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On January 15, at 5pm, Coun Bailey posted: "Just seen the agenda for the next Council meeting which our local stories are trying to fill with peado conspiracies and white nationalism. Frankly I'm done wasting my time with these people. This isn't what this place stands for, people here would not want it given the time of day."
In response, yesterday Coun Bones posted: "The Labour candidate for Mayor now has a choice, suspend him and stand with the vast majority of the British public who are rightly outraged by this, or do nothing and let this go unchallenged as so many Labour councils have done before."
It is understood that Coun Clark does not have the power to suspend Coun Bailey and nor can the local Labour party without process.
A Labour party spokesperson said: "This [Coun Bailey's] Tweet does not reflect the position of North Tyneside Labour Group. Child sexual abuse and violence are the most heinous of crimes and its perpetrators must be punished to the full extent of the law, and the victims must be protected and supported.
"Now is the time for action and delivery. This Labour government will act a pace to implement the Jay recommendations to protect young girls from horrific sexual abuse. We will protect women and girls where the Tories have failed."
An independent report, published by professor Alexi Jay in 2017, estimated 1,400 girls had been abused in Rotherham. Prof Jay went on to conduct a seven-year national review into child sexual abuse and later published a list of 20 recommendations to improve the safeguarding of children in 2022.
The largest recommendation was for people working with children to have a duty to report any abuse witnessed or told to by either the victim or perpetrator, on penalty of a criminal offence.