'UK must keep standing by Ukraine – giving Putin the whip hand is unacceptable'
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The PM’s visit to Ukraine to underline our support could not have been more timely. The outcome of the conflict has been thrown into doubt following Donald Trump’s election to the White House. Mr Trump has been worryingly ambivalent over Ukraine, blaming President Zelensky for provoking the war and trying to block Congress from approving aid.
The president-elect, who takes office on Monday, has also vowed to end the fighting on “day one” of his second term, regardless of the terms or conditions. This has raised fears that Mr Zelensky could be browbeaten into a peace deal with Russia that requires ceding territory without any guarantees of long-term security.
Britain must continue to stand with Ukraine and make clear that any treaty which leaves Vladimir Putin with the whip hand would be unacceptable. For too long the victims of child grooming gangs have been denied justice. Their testimonies have often been ignored and, in many cases, not investigated because of fears about race and religion.
The scale of the abuse and the failures by the authorities were covered by an independent national inquiry. Shamefully, the Tories failed to implement its recommendations when it was published in 2022. Labour is now promising to act. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has also agreed to five initial local inquiries and ordered an audit of the scale of exploitation across the country.
