Grooming gangs made up of ‘peasants’ from ‘sub-communities’, says Badenoch
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Tory leader says new inquiry should look at background of perpetrators as well as why some in authority did not act. Kemi Badenoch has said “peasants” from “sub-communities” from some countries are the ones in grooming and rape gangs, saying a national inquiry would seek to identify those in authority who did not act.
“There are some places where, when people behave in that way, a mob turns up and burns their homes down, and then they know that they can’t do that sort of thing,” the Conservative leader told GB News. “What for me is most extraordinary about this case is that clearly these people thought that they could get away with it. That is the thing that we should be looking at.”.
Her comments came as two more Labour MPs said they would back a national inquiry into grooming gangs. Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, who has been a longtime campaigner on the sexual abuse of women and girls, said she had been convinced on the need for a national investigation. The Labour MP for Rochdale, Paul Waugh, also said he was open to new inquiry, as did the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
The prime minister has faced calls from the Conservatives and Reform UK, among others, to launch a new inquiry after the tech billionaire Elon Musk seized on the longstanding scandal earlier this month. Starmer has said he instead plans to press ahead with implementing recommendations from the previous inquiry into child sexual abuse, which went beyond just grooming gangs, led by Prof Alexis Jay.
