UK politics - live: Tories lose vote on grooming gangs inquiry as Starmer hints at U-turn
The amendment to Labour’s flagship Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill received 111 Ayes and 364 Noes
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Your support makes all the difference.A Conservative Party amendment calling for a national inquiry on grooming gangs has been rejected in the Commons.
The amendment to Labour’s flagship Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill received 111 Ayes and 364 Noes, majority 253.
Mrs Badenoch’s amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill called 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”.
Prime minister Keir Starmer hit out at the Tory leader earlier on Wednesday over “lies and misinformation and slinging of mud” which did not help victims of child sexual abuse.
Sir Keir’s official spokesman faced questions about the possibility of a national inquiry after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told Sky News “nothing is off the table” in dealing with the scandal.
The spokesman said the PM and his minister were of the same view, and insisted the Government’s response is “rooted in what victims want”.
He added: “But as the Prime Minister said on Monday we will always remain open-minded. We will always listen to local authorities who want to take forward inquiries, or indeed further allegations that need to be followed up.”
Breaking: MPs to vote on Tory call for grooming gangs inquiry, Speaker decides
Kemi Badenoch’s call for the government to establish a national inquiry into grooming gangs will be put to a Commons vote tonight, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has decided.
Jess Phillips appears angered during heated PMQs grooming gang clash
Starmer appears to issue Scotland Budget threat over SNP criticism of winter fuel cut
Sir Keir Starmer has appeared to threaten to reverse the funding settlement given to Scotland in the Budget, after being challenged by the SNP over the government’s winter fuel allowance cut.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told MPs: “Outside of this place, temperatures continue to plummet, energy bills continue to rise, and the winter fuel allowance has been unacceptably taken away from so many vulnerable pensioners.
“The prime minister intimated prior to Christmas that he had no regrets about any of the decisions that he has taken in office. Does he understand that the public do?”
Sir Keir replied: “We took some tough decisions. They led to a Budget that has delivered the largest settlement since devolution began to Scotland. If he thinks that we should now reverse that, then he should say so ... Now the SNP have the money, the power, so no more excuses for the non-delivery which we see in Scotland.”
Watch: Starmer accuses Tories of wrecking amendment in row over grooming gangs
Sir Keir Starmer had a big smile on his face when Musk dumped Farage
Sir Keir Starmer has said “we all had a smile on Sunday” when Elon Musk spectacularly turned on Nigel Farage, just hours after the Reform UK leader had been on TV defending the billionaire.
The prime minister said that is the “rough and tumble” of politics, as Mr Farage and Reform’s deputy leader laughed along from the opposition benches.
Sir Keir said: “I think we all had a smile on Sunday when the honourable member said how cool it was to have the support of Musk only for Musk to say should be removed [as Reform UK leader] just a few hours later.
“That’s the rough and tumble of politics.”
Sir Keir confirmed the government is looking at the funding of political parties, as Mr Musk reportedly mulls a multi-million pound donation to Reform.
Starmer urges Tories to back Labour Bill on children’s safety
Urging Tory MPs to back Labour’s Bill on children’s safety this afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I know there are honourable members on the benches opposite who know very well that what’s in this Bill is necessary, that it’s the right thing to do, and that would want to vote for this Bill.
“I urge them to think twice about following this shortsighted, misguided, bandwagon-jumping approach of the non-leadership of the leader of the opposition.”
Kemi Badenoch warns PM that public will worry about a ‘cover up’ if he blocks inquiry
Kemi Badenoch has claimed that by blocking a national inquiry into grooming gangs the public would “start to worry about a cover-up”, pointing out the Sir Keir Starmer called for nine enquiries over the course of the last parliament.
She said that “not a single person in a position of authority has been held to account” over the scandal.
"The prime minister called for nine inquiries in the last parliament. Does he not see that by resisting this one people will start to worry about a cover-up?”, Ms Badenoch said.
Responding, Sir Keir replied: “This is an important issue and we have to focus on the victims and survivors and it is isn’t helpful, this sort of lies and misinformation and slinging of mud doesn’t help them one bit.”
Kemi Badenoch urges Starmer to ‘look again' at Labour definition of Islamophobia
Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to “look again at the Labour Party’s adoption of the definition of Islamophobia, its chilling effect, and rule out introducing it in government”.
The PM said he will call out an aspect that has prevented anybody coming forward when it comes to child sexual exploitation.
Analysis: Starmer holds his own against Badenoch on grooming gangs
Sir Keir Starmer faced a barrage of questions from Kemi Badenoch about grooming gangs, and Labour's refusal to launch a new national inquiry into the scandal.
The prime minister held his own, pointing to the Conservatives' own failures in office and the leader of the opposition's lack of credentials on the issue. And he reached across the house to urge Tory MPs to back Labour's key child safety bill, with the party's amendment calling for a grooming gangs investigation threatening to derail the changes.
Sir Keir repeatedly highlighted the many conversations he has had with victims and their fears about delays a further inquiry could cause in delivering changes recommended in a previous report on the scandal.
He also brandished his record as director of public prosecutions, saying that he "took measures to confront this head on" and ushered in the first mass prosecutions for an Asian grooming gang in Rochdale.
But the killer moment for Ms Badenoch was when Sir Keir highlighted her own silence on the issue in her eight years as an MP.
The PM said: "The leader of the opposition has been an MP, I think for eight years, her party had been in government. For seven and a half of those eight years... I can't recall her once raising this issue in the house."
Starmer defends his record on grooming gangs while chief prosecutor
Sir Keir Starmer has issued another defence of his action on grooming gangs while director of public prosecutions.
He told PMQs: “When I was chief prosecutor, I took measures to confront this head-on. The first mass prosecution of an Asian gang was in Rochdale. My team came to see me to put a number of Asian men in the dock. They wanted the green light for the first of these cases to take place.
“I gave that green light but on one condition, because it came to my attention that one of the men that was going into the dock had previously been arrested and not charged.
“And I said ‘you can bring the first of these mass prosecutions, but only if you look back through the file where [he wasn’t] charged and tell me what went wrong, so that I can start to put it right’ – and that’s what started the reforms I brought about.”
He added: “That’s the approach I took in practice while others were tweeting and talking.”
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