🇬🇧Starmer and Badenoch clash over call for grooming inquiry

🇬🇧Sir Keir Starmer directly urged Kemi Badenoch to drop her call for a national inquiry on grooming gangs because it would mean derailing legislation aimed at bolstering the safety of children.

At Prime Minister’s Questions Sir Keir said a further inquiry could delay action on tackling child sexual abuse, pointing out that recommendations from a seven-year investigation which reported in 2022 had not yet been implemented.

The Tories have tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill demanding a new national inquiry into gangs, but if MPs backed Mrs Badenoch’s call it would prevent the legislation making progress.

Mrs Badenoch warned that failing to back an inquiry would fuel concerns about a “cover-up”.

But Sir Keir urged the Tory leader to “withdraw her wrecking amendment” to the Government’s Bill.

Mrs Badenoch’s amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill calls for ministers “to develop new legislative proposals for children’s wellbeing including establishing a national statutory inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation, focused on grooming gangs”.

The amendment is unlikely to be approved in the Commons due to Labour’s massive majority, as the Government wants to roll out the recommendations of the investigation led by Professor Alexis Jay rather than open a new inquiry.

If it was passed, the amendment would halt the progress of the Bill, which includes measures aimed at improving safeguarding for children.

The demands for a new inquiry looking at all instances of grooming gang scandals - from Oldham to Telford and Oxford - were sparked by posts on X by the tech billionaire Elon Musk and backed by the Reform leader, Nigel Farage, and the Conservative leader, Badenoch

ℹ️ @theGuardian , @theindependent

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