Labour is facing a cross-party outcry following a “cowardly” U-turn on committing to grooming gang inquiries across five towns blighted by the abuse scandal.
Yesterday afternoon, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips had confirmed a £5million-valued five-way probe into grooming gangs would be reallocated into a “flexible fund”.
But now, the Government has been branded “disgraceful”, “despicable” and “cowardly” – and has been accused of “running scared of the extremist Muslim vote”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he “tried to push the Government on holding a full national inquiry” but dropped the plans after the Home Secretary announced the five probes earlier this year.
Jess Phillips confirmed a £5m-valued five-way probe into grooming gangs would be reallocated into a ‘flexible fund’
PA
Now, after the U-turn, he said: “You’ve got to ask yourself… Why are they doing this? This Government is pandering, because it’s scared of the Gaza independents. It’s scared of that extremist Muslim vote that exists within our inner cities.”
Farage was one of a number of high-profile figures on the British right to voice his fury on Tuesday.
Richard Tice, Andrea Jenkyns, Liz Truss and Rupert Lowe have all since poured scorn on Labour.
“Labour are terrified of the pro-Gaza vote and the extremist inner city vote,” Tice said.
“This is why they have reneged on holding formal inquiries into child rape gangs on white girls. Gutless cowards.”
LATEST AS LABOUR U-TURNS ON GROOMING GANGS:
(Left to right) Richard Tice, Liz Truss, Andrea Jenkyns and Rupert Lowe have all poured scorn on Labour
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Jenkyns added: “Despicable. Labour has cancelled the grooming gang inquiry. There must be justice for these children.”
And in a dire warning, Lowe added: “Sectarian politics is here to stay. It will grow and grow and grow. Demands for Pakistani airports will soon be the least of our concerns.”
Truss branded reports of Rotherham riots imprisonments overtaking those of rape gang members an example of “two-tier Britain” – which preceded a fiery attack on the same lines this morning by Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick.
He said: “More people were sentenced in Rotherham for the summer riots than for decades-long rape gangs in the town. Starmer’s called for countless national inquiries – but not one into rape gangs.
“It’s two-tier justice. The fight for answers and accountability must go on.”
Lisa Nandy has said it is ‘not the truth’ to suggest that Labour is dropping plans to investigate Britain’s rape gang abusePABut Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said today it was “not the truth” to suggest that Labour is dropping plans to investigate Britain’s rape gangs.
Asked whether it was true to suggest Ministers were watering down their plans, the Culture Secretary told Times Radio: “No, it’s not the truth.
“The truth is that we are listening to victims and authorities around the country about the need to give them the right tools to tackle it, this very pernicious problem, in their own areas.
“We believe that decisions are best made by those with skin in the game in their own communities, people who live in those communities, who understand what is happening there.”
She also vowed that Ministers did not want to “impose one system from Whitehall, which might give us a decent press release in the media but doesn’t actually tackle the problem”.
