Labour
minister sorry over grooming gangs remark
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ew9jnj2p1o
Leader of
the House of Commons Lucy Powell has sought to clarify her remarks after she
appeared to describe grooming gangs as a "dog whistle" issue,
prompting a backlash from political opponents.
During a
heated debate on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday, commentator and Reform
UK member Tim Montgomerie asked Powell if she had seen a recent Channel 4
documentary on grooming gangs.
Powell
responded "oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now do we" and
"let's get that dog whistle out shall we".
But on
Saturday, the Labour minister said she regarded child exploitation and grooming
with the "utmost seriousness", adding: "I'm sorry if this was
unclear."
Powell said:
"I was challenging the political point scoring around it, not the issue
itself. As a constituency MP I've dealt with horrendous cases."
Health
Secretary Wes Streeting said politicians sometimes say things "in the heat
of debate" that "come across badly".
"She's
mortified and she does not want and would not want people who've campaigned on,
or been victims of, these most appalling crimes to think she was in any way
trying to undermine those experiences or those arguments," he told the
BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
During the
political debate programme, Montgomerie was asked about Reform UK's pledge to
replicate the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)
- including by cutting diversity and inclusions roles within councils -
following its successes in Thursday's local elections.
Montgomerie
said the UK was "one of the most tolerant [countries] in the world",
but argued there "always needs to be more progress on racial issues".
He said:
"It's not so much the amount of money that is spent on employing diversity
officers.
"You
talk to a lot of civil servants, the amount of time they now have to spend
monitoring this issue [of diversity] above all others is an extraordinary
diversion."
Powell
called his claims "absolutely rubbish", and told Montgomerie to spend
a day with council staff to "actually see what they're dealing with".
Montgomerie
then asked Powell if she "saw the documentary on Channel 4 about rape
gangs", to which she responded: "Oh, we want to blow that little
trumpet now do we. Let's get that dog whistle out shall we."
The
documentary features five women who recount the abuse they suffered at the
hands of grooming gangs, which it said revealed failures by police and social
services.
It elicited
reaction from several high-profile Conservative figures, including former home
secretary Suella Braverman and former prime minister Liz Truss. Conservative
leader Kemi Badenoch has called for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
Prime
Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Wednesday there had already been an inquiry,
the recommendations of which his government would implement. He told Parliament
that Labour was "delivering truth and justice for victims".
Labour peer
Baroness Hazarika said she was "disgusted" by "sickening"
stories of grooming gangs, adding: "Many of us in the Muslim community are
absolutely as appalled as anyone else."
Following
Friday's exchange on Any Questions, shadow home secretary Chris Philp called
for Powell to resign over her remarks, which he said "belittles thousands
of girls who were raped by grooming gangs over decades".
Robert
Jenrick, the shadow lord chancellor, said Powell's comments were "a
disgusting betrayal of the victims".
A Reform UK
spokesman said Powell's "abhorrent comments truly demonstrate how out of
touch the Labour Party is".
He went on:
"She does not take the mass rape of young girls by predominantly Pakistani
men seriously. The mask has slipped.
"After
these comments, Keir Starmer should consider if Lucy Powell is fit to
serve."
Powell said
the comments were made "in the heat of a discussion" and the
government was "acting to get to the truth, and deliver justice".
The BBC
understands that Downing Street accepts Powell's apology and her explanation
that her comments did not reflect her views on the issue.
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