How Northern Ireland's MPs voted on child gang grooming inquiry amendment
Kemi Badenoch faced a significant setback in her efforts to disrupt the government's child welfare legislation, in a bid for another national inquiry into grooming gangs. The amendment proposed by the Tory leader to the Government's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill was defeated with 364 MPs voting against it, while only 111 supported it, despite there being 121 Tory MPs in total.
Of the 18 MPs from Northern Ireland, only five voted on the amendment. With no votes recorded from some 16 Tory MPs. Nigel Farage and the four other Reform MPs also endorsed the amendment.
Badenoch's amendment sought "to develop new legislative proposals for children's wellbeing including establishing a national statutory inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation, focused on grooming gangs". However, senior Labour ministers heavily criticised the Tory leader for attempting to undermine their legislation, which they argue is designed to "protect the very children they claim to care about".
The Prime Minister accused her of opportunism, suggesting she was jumping on the "bandwagon" after years of silence on the issue during her time in power. Keir Starmer lambasted Ms Badenoch for engaging in "lies and misinformation and slinging of mud", stating that such actions do not aid the victims of child sexual abuse.
He called on her to abandon her campaign, warning that its success would jeopardise crucial child protection legislation, reports the Mirror.
During PMQs, Mr Starmer warned that a further inquiry could delay necessary action on tackling child sexual abuse, highlighting that recommendations from a seven-year investigation reported in 2022 are still not implemented. The issue has escalated into a political storm after Tesla CEO Elon Musk targeted Mr Starmer and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips with a series of attacks on his social media platform.
In her closing remarks on the debate over the bill, Education Minister Catherine McKinnell described the child sexual abuse scandal as "sickening" and emphasised the need for "action" rather than additional inquiries. She accused the Tories of knowing that Labour's bill would be doomed if their amendment passed, calling it "the biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation".
Addressing the Tory amendment, she declared the Government would be "rejecting today's political opportunism", stating: "Because instead of chasing headlines, we want to focus our efforts and our actions on vulnerable children."
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott, during the debate, argued that proposed reforms to the education system would reverse any progress made in school standards over the past decade. She voiced opposition to plans requiring academies to teach the national curriculum.
However, Ms McKinnell countered the Tory MP's claims, citing children's unhappiness, deteriorating school buildings, and undervalued teachers as the true legacy of the Tories - "a system failing education". .
Kemi Badenoch recently came under fire for never having met with survivors of grooming gangs, with her spokesman stating that she has no plans to meet with any victims and none have requested a meeting. In contrast, Labour leader Keir Starmer had a private meeting with victims and accused Badenoch of "jumping on a bandwagon" as she had not addressed the issue in Parliament during her eight years as an MP.
The Conservative party sparked outrage for sending fundraising emails trying to profit from renewed interest in the scandal, with Badenoch being accused of hitting a "new low" for including a donation link to the party in an email about a petition for a new inquiry. Labour criticized the move as showing "breathtaking disrespect" to victims, who they argue are being used as a "political football" by the Tories.
Additionally, Badenoch's spokesman said she finds online abuse of MPs "disgraceful" yet expressed her admiration for Elon Musk. When questioned about what sparked her increased interest in grooming gangs, Badenoch's spokesman cited strong evidence that the issue persists and victims' feelings that those in power have not been held accountable, which a national inquiry could address.
He emphasised the importance of an inquiry reflecting on the ethnicity of those involved, stating: "That is what we're looking for, that is what the victims are looking for."
Despite the Tory leader not having met any victims personally, the spokesman rejected the notion that this was jumping on a "bandwagon", explaining: "We have listened to the victims. There has been some superb reporting....there are whistleblowers. When you hear these people talking about what has happened and you look at what has been done in response the leader of the opposition came to the conclusion it was absolutely necessary to hold a national inquiry."
On the matter of not meeting victims, he countered: "We heard testimony, we heard the reports. You don't need to necessarily meet someone to feel incredibly passionately about this."
In response to queries on taking sides, he noted: "As has been said elsewhere, there are differing perspectives on this, she's taken up the ones who want an inquiry."
He confirmed that no victims had directly approached Ms Badenoch for a meeting.
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