Kemi Badenoch’s remark this morning calling for a full nationwide inquiry into what she describes because the “rape gangs scandal” is clearly meant to assert ethical management over an appalling stain on our current nationwide historical past.
However as a substitute of seizing the political excessive floor she dangers trying like she’s scrambling to meet up with Nigel Farage – and dancing to Elon Musk’s tune.
Mr Musk had spent all evening posting inflammatory feedback on X – suggesting that the Labour safeguarding minister Jess Phillips ought to go to jail after denying Oldham Council’s request for a authorities backed public inquiry within the challenge. Ms Phillips had argued it will be higher for an inquiry to be commissioned domestically.
The billionaire American businessman went on to submit in assist of the Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe’s requires an inquiry, in addition to urging his followers “Vote Reform. It’s the only Hope.”
Because the final basic election the Conservatives have been underneath large and rising stress from Mr Farage’s occasion, as highlighted by final week’s row over membership figures.
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However with this most delicate of points, Ms Badenoch appears to be like perilously near leaping on the Reform bandwagon.
It’s a dangerous enterprise – Mr Farage is decided to not be muscled out, and has hit again on the Tories’ failure to launch an inquiry throughout their 14 years in workplace: “Talk is Cheap.”
It’s a criticism additionally pointedly levelled at Ms Badenoch by Sammy Woodhouse, one of many survivors of sexual abuse in Rotherham, who posted that regardless of many conferences throughout the Conservatives’ years in energy “none of you cared”.
Moderately embarrassingly a letter to Oldham Council has emerged this afternoon written by the then Conservative minister of safeguarding, Amanda Solloway MP, again in 2022.
Within the letter – written in strikingly comparable phrases to her Labour successor’s – she rejects a earlier request from the native authority for the federal government to arrange a public inquiry. As a substitute, like Ms Phillips, she argued in favour of a domestically commissioned inquiry.
That is exactly the place the shadow house secretary Chris Philp and present shadow safeguarding minister, Alicia Kearns, have criticised in a stinging public letter to the house secretary revealed at this time.
For the victims looking for a severe response, the political mudslinging is a degrading spectacle.
It’s all of the extra irritating given the delay in implementing the suggestions of the general public inquiry which has already examined a few of these points – the Impartial Inquiry into Little one Sexual Abuse.
Labour say they’re working urgently to take action.
