Prime minister says any new inquiry into child abuse would delay progress as Kemi Badenoch says ‘be a leader, not a lawyer’Reform UK has also tabled a reasoned amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill motion tonight. It says:That this house declines to give a second reading to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill because the secretary of state for the Home Department has not launched a UK-wide public inquiry into grooming gangs and has not committed to updating Members of this House every quarter on the progress of the inquiry.The Conservatives are using the victims of this scandal as a political football.The Conservatives alongside Reform, goaded along by Elon Musk will be voting for a motion which will not secure a national inquiry for victims of child sexual abuse, but instead it would kill these crucial child protection measures completely. Continue reading...

Politics

Prime minister told Commons any new inquiry into child abuse would delay progress however spokesperson says he has not ruled one outReform UK has also tabled a reasoned amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill motion tonight. It says:That this house declines to give a second reading to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill because the secretary of state for the Home Department has not launched a UK-wide public inquiry into grooming gangs and has not committed to updating Members of this House every quarter on the progress of the inquiry.The Conservatives are using the victims of this scandal as a political football.The Conservatives alongside Reform, goaded along by Elon Musk will be voting for a motion which will not secure a national inquiry for victims of child sexual abuse, but instead it would kill these crucial child protection measures completely. Continue reading...

Events

MAILONLINE BLOG: Follow live coverage of the first Prime Minister's Questions of 2025 as Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch in the wake of a grooming gangs row involving Elon Musk.

Politics

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (8 January) as a furious row erupts between the two political parties over grooming gangs.

Events

Prime minister says any new inquiry into child abuse would delay progress as Kemi Badenoch says ‘be a leader, not a lawyer’Reform UK has also tabled a reasoned amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill motion tonight. It says:That this house declines to give a second reading to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill because the secretary of state for the Home Department has not launched a UK-wide public inquiry into grooming gangs and has not committed to updating Members of this House every quarter on the progress of the inquiry.The Conservatives are using the victims of this scandal as a political football.The Conservatives alongside Reform, goaded along by Elon Musk will be voting for a motion which will not secure a national inquiry for victims of child sexual abuse, but instead it would kill these crucial child protection measures completely. Continue reading...

Politics

Tories told to ‘put up or shut up’ as they seek grooming gangs amendment to Labour’s child safety bill

Politics

Bridget Phillipson says Tory approach to bill will ‘kill it stone dead’ after PM says opposition more interested in retweets than safeguardingLaura Trott, the shadow education secretary, defended her party’s call for a new inquiry into grooming gangs in her interviews this morning. Explaining why the party wanted an inquiry now, when it did not propose one when it was in office, she told Sky News:There is much more information that has come to light, this is an evolving picture. There is more that we need to understand and, as a result, it makes sense to do a national inquiry alongside taking forward further steps to help support and protect victims.This is about new information which is coming forward about the extent of what’s happening and us needing more information to take this forward.I would like this to be done on a cross-party basis, where we talk about these things, we are able to have policy debates, without people calling each other names.That this house, while welcoming...

Politics

Bridget Phillipson said her Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will protect children from vanishing in the education system

Politics

Keir Starmer has ordered his MPs to oppose an amendment tabled by Kemi Badenoch that would trigger a new official probe.

Politics