Keir Starmer is set to block a national inquiry into child grooming gangs in Parliament today, ordering his MPs to oppose an amendment tabled by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch that would trigger a new official inquiry. The Mail has more.
With Labour holding a massive majority in the House, it means the bid is almost certain to fail.
Sir Keir – who has been fending off an extraordinary social media attack on the issue from U.S. billionaire Elon Musk – accused the Conservatives of “shocking” tactics by tagging the measure on to the wider Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
“I would implore any right-thinking Tory MP to vote for the Bill because this would kill the Bill, this would kill the legislation,” he told the Mirror.
The issue is likely to come up when the leaders clash at the first PMQs session since the Christmas break at noon, before the expected vote this evening.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the decision showed “total moral cowardice”.
“The victims of these heinous child rape gangs deserve honesty, and they deserve the truth,” he said.
Mr. Philp said previous inquiries had failed to get to the bottom of the issue.
“Labour’s decision risks perpetuating the cover-up of the rape gangs,” he said.
“There will be many Labour MPs in constituencies where these awful crimes took place and where victims still seek justice. They now need to think long and hard about which side of history they want to be on.”
The scandal involved the rape and sexual abuse of thousands of white girls by gangs of predominantly Pakistani-origin men.
Campaigners against child sex abuse also urged the Prime Minister to reconsider.
Victims campaigner Dame Jasvinder Sanghera said she “fully supported” a public inquiry – and warned that rape and abuse of young girls by gangs of men was still continuing.
“Let’s be clear, this is still happening,” she told Times Radio. “This isn’t something that used to happen. This is still happening today. I’m sure the perpetrators of this kind of abuse will look for different ways of manipulating the system so we have to look at this as a whole and have a broader conversation.”
Dame Jasvinder said the Government’s approach to multiculturalism still appeared to be to “minimise the risk of offending communities as opposed to actually dealing with the very problem”.
But on a round of broadcast interviews this morning, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson branded the Tory approach “sickening”.
Worth reading in full.
The Telegraph explains the process:
The Bill is due to face its second reading debate this afternoon which is the first big hurdle legislation must clear and is when MPs debate and vote on the broad principles of a Bill. Amendments seeking to make changes to a Bill are not allowed at second reading.
So the Tories and Reform have instead tabled what are called “reasoned amendments” which set out reasons for objecting to a Bill rather than proposed changes.
If a “reasoned amendment” is passed by the Commons it has the effect of killing off the Bill it is attached to.
So with today’s action it is possible for Labour to try to argue that it is all about the Tories and Reform trying to kill the Bill while the Tories and Reform can try to keep the focus purely on the inquiry issue.
The Tories also oppose the Bill because it takes the axe to the freedom of academies:
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott told Sky News: “Academies are being abolished in all but name as part of this Bill and we completely oppose that and everybody should.”
The Tory frontbencher argued that the Bill would strip academies of many of the freedoms they currently have on things like teacher pay and admissions.
Elon Musk kept the pressure on this morning, tweeting: “Now why would Keir Starmtrooper order his own party to block such an inquiry? Because he is hiding terrible things. That is why.”
Independent Oldham Councillor Abdul Wahid has said Keir Starmer needs to “stop deflecting” from the issue of grooming gangs by “calling everybody far-Right”, adding: “Why would anybody with an ounce of humanity deny the public a fair and independent inquiry?”
Stop Press: MPs voted by 364 votes to 111 against Kemi Badenoch’s call for a new inquiry.
Watch Kemi tell Parliament that Starmer “doesn’t want questions asked of Labour politicians who may be complicit“. (Though Farage pointed out that “as Women and Equalities Minister from 2022 to 2024 [Badenoch] didn’t meet a single victim of these rapes and never raised the issue once”.)
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Keegan is a cunt
Apologies but there is no other way of putting it
The South Sandwich Islands are on the green list if you fancy some winter sun
(and especially safe now that the coup has been crushed)
Might stop off on the way back from Yemen, another one on the Amber bucket list
Your description of Keegan is spot on – it also perfectly describes every other politician who went along with this nonsensical madness for the past twelve months.
Time to drop the niceties, take off the gloves and call a spade a spade.
Strong but pretty accurate. What upsets me is th govt. appear to think we will accept these fools and their b.s.
Just goes to show how many are ignoring this nonsense of Johnson and his cronies. People are making their own minds up. Is this government colour blind as well as inept – if a country is really unsafe it should be red? This whole excitement about the Indian variant is fading very quickly – seems that it is no more transmissable than other variants (surprise, surprise!).
A passive-aggressive response to passive-aggressive guidance.
I like it.
270K LMFAO
I guess a lot of people have had enough of this nonsense then?
I can only imagine how ridiculous the Govt’s counter move will be? Maybe we’ll fly Covid Marshalls out to Spain ?!?!?
If you check companies house, I’m sure an outfit has been set up to take the £132 million contract for the holiday marshalls. The directors get a bonus of free Sangria too.
Mate of Hancock has a Fish and Chip shop there. He’s got the contract.
Daily Mail readers spitting feathers that people have the audacity to ignore guidance…and then moaning that the exact same guidance is destroying jobs and freedoms left, right and centre.
I say, good on anyone and everyone getting on with their lives. Ignore the government, go travelling. See the world from beyond a screen.
If I was running for office in the UK, I would propose “guidance” that there can never be government guidance in the future.
Governments should give information, not guidance. No truly democratic country should allow its government to have a propaganda unit to influence behaviour, nor should they have access to funds to run advertising campaigns.
Yes so true. The government said, you can go here but you have to isolate for 10 days and take two tests. So how is that you cannot go?? Amber traffic lights means proceed with caution. NOT stop. Perhaps you should say what you fucking mean. Love the DM winging about selfish people. Fuck off. The only reason you had this experimental gene therapy was so you could go abroad. Just because you are so cowardly you won’t leave your house without permission does not mean you have the right to tell others what to do.
Guidance is advice. A sensible adult either follows the advice or ignores it, making their own decision as to what is the wisest choice.
The sight of British people sticking two fingers up at the government brings a tear to the eye. It’s such a beautiful thing.
With their masks on?
Oh dear Oh dear, here’s another section of society to blame for the spread of covid – what will this variant be called? The Costa Covid?
Definitely asking to be locked down for the rest of the year.
Good for these holiday makers and I hope they ignore the stay at home nonsense.
Yes! Sorry but fuck you, Boris. Fuck you Grant. Fuck you, Pritti. Fuck you, Matt. And for good measure, Fuck you, Dom! Fuck you, Vallance! I love it, people leaving in droves …
You forgot. Fuck the holiday police.
An “Amber list” is the talk of the land. My God.
The bureaucrats who produce such color-coded lists – and then preach to the public about the importance of paying attention to this lists – must be in heaven.
At 3mins into that video, Julia Hartley Brewer demanded to know why our country is not replicating other European countries by requiring a ‘vaccine’ passport to cross their borders.
Very poor Julia, very poor indeed.
We’ve all noticed the not so subtle change over the last week to more “personal responsibility” messages.
Back from our city break today, it was great to see that so many people had decided enough was enough and had booked a few days away, albeit in this country. They are making the government look even more foolish as it runs behind them waving a red flag. What planet is it on? Most people seem to be getting on with their lives despite government interference.
I won’t travel again until there are no more tests or masks, so probably never, but am glad in a way that so many people are ignoring the guidance.
In-freaking-credible. WhenEVER have we had an outbreak of respiratory viruses in the summer months!? Talk of this scariant or that colour country is really getting on my wick!
I have no plans to travel abroad.
But why would I take advice about it from certifiable fuckwits?
Good – maybe people are now starting to wake-up to this insane nightmare..
This is fantastic! Just ignore the government! Ignore it all!
Let’s crash this entire rotten system by giving it zero credibility.
Does travelling or visiting the pub, with all the need for attendant bullshit theatre, cement the madness or help us to remember and savour normal life?
I’m boycotting it all for now, and a total boycott may be more effective, but obviously most people won’t.
I took a walk around Gun Wharf yesterday. In the past an enjoyable experience. Sea, a few boats, a quiet London Pride. No more. Haunted ghouls, many wearing masks. Straggling ‘socially distanced’ queues outside half empty shops. Fools eagerly grasping the gift of a pub lunch, forgetting it is their right. Like a Lowry painting without the clogs. Not for me. I will not interact with any of this until the clock is back to Feb 2020. There was, is, and will only ever be, one ‘Normal’.
hear hear . me too only one normal feb 2020
‘ …the amber list countries are only for people who need to travel for business …’
Right … because its a well-known medical fact that the virus doesn’t attack business people – it only targets holiday-makers – this is a very clever virus that can now differentiate between a businessman and a tourist.
And when the weary businessman returns to his hotel, changes into his shorts and Hawaiian shirt, and heads for poolside, does Covvie go STATION SCRAMBLE and send its Spitvires to get him?
The Hawaiian variant! Do try and keep up!
Does that come with pineapple and ham?
When this Government is involved then it is always a f**k up.
“Priti Patel last night told those returning from abroad that they should expect a “knock on the door” from “holiday police” checking that they are isolating, with potential rule breakers being threatened with fines of up to £10,000.”
This is in no way totalitarian from Priti Vacant, nor is it enabling fraud…
Potential rule breakers can be fined?
Minority Report?
Knock knock.
“Who’s there ?”
“Mitie security division on behalf of the Home Office. Is Mr Smith home ?”
“Yes”
“Can I see him please?”
“No. He’s asleep”
“Ok. Thank you good bye”.
Another flaw. How would said Mite person have any idea who was who ? They won’t have your photo will they, they can’t come in and check. They can’t do bugger all. What hogwash.
Where I live I see a policeman about twice a year, if I’m lucky. I’m not vaguely worried that I’ll ever see a ‘holiday Marshall’ whatever the circumstances.
I’m not ready to face Covvairport hell myself, but my fervent good wishes go to all Amber Persons.
If a million Ambers go and come back, and Ugli Patel’s thugs make 10,000 calls a day, what are the chances of any Amberer copping a fine?
We faced that hell last October to go to Stockholm – the last time we felt we were in a sane country – and it was worth every minute of the hell. But I am not sure I will go anywhere for a while now, unless I can get a green card.
Aha, Sweden.Went there a few years ago, decided I could live there quite happily. Uppsala for choice.
Agreed, absolutely anything that throws a spanner in the works is fine with me. The more people get on with stuff the harder it is to put them back in the box.
Pretty minimal, you’d have thought. Has she not realised that the CPS haven’t charged anyone, absolutely zero, under so-called ‘laws’ like that?
I have every intention of going to our apartment in Gran Canaria after having to pay an extra 275 squid to Ryanbastardair to transfer my flight from last year to this, believing by this time we’d be back to normal. How naïve I was. If the Covid holiday bastards knock on my door, I’ll get the cats to say I’m still on holiday.
The tipping point to a police state.
Priti Patel last night told those returning from abroad that they should expect a “knock on the door” from “holiday police” checking that they are isolating, with potential rule-breakers being threatened with fines of up to £10,000.
For maximum effect, the ” Knock” would be 02.00 am to 03.00 am, complete with a battering ram for those who refuse to open the door.
When I was isolating I had a knock on the door from a covid fucker who I told to fuck off. They have no powers so the only two words you should say to them are fuck off. You can add a few more if you to of course.
You should have answered the door pretending to cough and splitter all over the Covid inspector
You actually had one turn up ? They exist ? No fucking way ?
Fines that of course are going to be rejected by any court in the land and rightly so. Might as well fine people a million pounds for all the good the fine is. How about ten years in Jail ?
“ if they have to go to an amber-list country, then please bear in mind that you will have to self-isolate, you’ll have to take tests and do your passenger locator form and all the rest of it, but you also have to self-isolate for 10 days when you get back.”
For many people this is not dramatically different enough from their day to day lives over the past year to be a compelling argument against going. Stay at home? Easy! In addition, how will they police the self isolation of 300,000 people every two days? Assuming 1m a week? That’s a lot of doors to knock on.
The regime has been caught out by it’s own lies
People are so thick they believe the lies
They told the people they were going to vaccinated and once they were vaccinated they could go on holiday. The morons believed it and actually do believe that they are vaccinated
Believing they are vaccinated and invincible they are now going on holiday cos that’s what the regime told them
It’s not a mass freedom movement
It’s a mass movement in being thick (Although they won’t come to harm because there is no threat to them in the first place)
They will come back from hols and say the vaccines worked
The events of the past year have stretched my mind to the point that lyrics to McArthur Park now make sense
Love Julia, but the minute she quotes the rights of ‘people that have had both their vaccines’ I turn off and consider her ‘controlled opposition’. She is endorsing apartheid.
I agree & no longer listen to her.
I briefed her in detail some time ago,
Then she went to be vaccinated.
I clapped by palm to my forehead at that news.
British nationals cannot enter Spain and I expect the same is true for France and other EU countries Requisitos de entrada en España (exteriores.gob.es)
With the announcement such as indian variant this is likely to be the case for a while longer.
Does anybody know how did the gov experts compared the variant here with the one in India. I expect it is all pulled out of a hat.
watch them scramble back when the government shift the goalposts again…
I know several people who have just flown to Pakistan & I also know that they will not isolate on their return and will definitely visit our home with all the news!
Excellent. It’s stupid & unnecessary.
I didn’t use my car much for a while during the last lockdown.
The battery went flat and needed replacing.
I wonder what state al those airliners stood down for months are in. How can firms with no income service them?
Excellence news that people are taking responsibility for their own risk assessments & getting moving, including abroad.
When did you ever hear of a state saying you can’t leave?
North Korea & the former East Germany?
And U.K.
A friend who lives a mile away creates itineraries for rich people going on holiday. He often sets up cars both ends & flights for up to a dozen wealthy people.
Very little fall off in business. The elite still slipping down the approach road to LHR & off they go, pretending they’re preparing real estate for sale or rent or contemplating real estate purchases.
The elites are laughing at the oiks.
.