Keir Starmer took a brutal swipe at Nigel Farage after Elon Musk turned on him.
The PM told MPs: “I think we all had a smile on Sunday when the Reform leader said how cool Elon Musk was… only for Musk to say he should be removed”
It came after a tense confrontation with Kemi Badenoch, who has demanded a national inquiry into grooming gangs. Mr Starmer said now is the time for action not words as he warned such an inquiry could take until 2031.
And he accused Ms Badenoch of bandwaggon jumping following Musk’s attacks on the Government over its refusal to do so.
He told her: “I can’t recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry. It’s only in recent days she’s jumped on the bandwagon.”
After Kemi Badenoch demanded an inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal, the PM defended his record as Director of Public Prosecutions.
The PM accused the Tory leader of a “recently acquired” interest. He told her: “She is right to say it’s one of the worst scandals, it’s terrible. That’s why I acted on it.
“Her recently acquired view that it’s a scandal, having spent a lot of time on social media over Christmas, not once in eight years did she stand here and say what she’s just said.”
He added: “They didn’t act on the recommendations, they want a national inquiry, we’ve had a national inquiry, the Jay inquiry, the Jay report, 20 recommendations, not a single one implemented.”
The Government must act faster to reform social care, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said.
He told the Commons: “Fixing the care crisis is urgent for the millions of people, elderly and disabled who are not getting the care they need, for the millions of family carers who are making huge sacrifices to fill the gap, for the NHS where over 12,000 people are stuck in hospital beds, because they can’t get out of hospital because the care’s not there for them.”
The PM responded: “I want cross party consensus on this and I invite him to work with us on this, as I know he will. It is important and he’s right to say we need some action now as well.
“That’s why it’s important that I point out the immediate action I’ve taken, the £3.7 billion of additional funding in the budget for social care, and another £86 million to allow 7,800 more disabled and elderly people to live more independent lives, and of course the increased carers allowance.”
Ms Badenoch warned that “by resisting this (inquiry), people will start to worry about a cover up”.
But the PM – who has accused his opponent of jumping on the bandwagon – said: “This sort-of lies and misinformation and slinging of mud doesn’t help one bit.”
He added a new inquiry could leave victims waiting until 2031 for recommendations and continued: “It’s very hard for victims and survivors to come forward and explain what’s happened to them.
“They do not want to be rushed through this process, which is why the last one took seven years. It’s not sensible to suggest that this can be done in a hurry, on the cheap and comprehensively.”
Keir Starmer said “we all had a smile” on Sunday when Elon Musk snubbed Nigel Farage.
Following a question from Ed Davey, the PM said he found it amusing that the Reform leader had hours earlier said the billionaire made the party look cool.
A smile and a shrug from Mr Farage.
The PM called on Ms Badenoch to withdraw her “wrecking amendment” to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The Prime Minister told the Commons during PMQs: “This morning, I met some of the victims and survivors of this scandal, and they were clear with me that they want action now, not the delay of a further inquiry. The Jay inquiry, the last national inquiry was seven years which would take us with a further inquiry to 2031, I think action is what’s required.
“But whatever your view, whatever anyone’s view on whether a further inquiry is needed, what I find shocking is that anyone in this House would vote down the Children’s Wellbeing Bill this afternoon, vital protections for the most vulnerable in our society and I urge the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw her wrecking amendment.”
Further hitting back at a grooming gang inquiry, Mr Starmer said: “We already know what the major flaws are. We should get on with our actions.”
Ms Badenoch described it as “one of the worst scandals in British history” and accused the PM of “distraction tactics”.
The PM said he agreed, but claimed Ms Badenoch’s interest is “recently acquired”.
Ms Badenoch told the PM: “I would say very respectfully to the Prime Minister, it’s not about you. It is about the victims. Be a leader, not a lawyer.”
Making the case for an inquiry, he said: “We knew that people were scared to tell the truth because they thought they would be called racist.”
The PM said another public inquiry could take until 2031 to conclude.
He told the Commons: “It’s not sensible to suggest that this would be done in a hurry, on the cheap.” Mr Starmer continued: “The victims that I spoke to want action today. I agree with them.”
He said he “couldn’t understand” why any Tory MPs would vote against the Bill this afternoon.
Keir Starmer points out that he called for mandatory reporting of sexual abuse eight years ago.
He pointed out that despite it being a recommendation of a 2022 inquiry into child sexual abuse. The PM said that despite being children’s minister and women’s equality minister, Ms Badenoch had never raised it in the House.
Mr Starmer said he would withdraw the remark if the Tory leader could highlight occassions where she had. She was unable to do so.
Kemi Badenoch has offered her condolences to the PM after the loss of his brother Nick on Boxing Day.
The PM responded: “Can I thank her for reaching out for the Christmas period when I lost my brother.”
Keir Starmer is addressing the call for a national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal.
He told MPs: “This morning I met some of the victims and survivors of this scandal. and they were clear with me that they want action.”
He said there have been a number of inquiries into child sexual abuse.
Keir Starmer opens by thanking responders for their response to flooding across the country.
He said: “We thank the responders for working hard to keep communities safe.“
Kemi Badenoch has set out her case for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
In a video shared on social media, she accused Labour of ignoring the scandal. The Tory leader will demand a vote on the issue in the Commons this afternoon.
She states: “Keir Starmer and the Labour government are trying to sweep it under the rug.”
It’s time to get justice for the victims of the rape gangs.
Today the @Conservatives will force a vote on a full national inquiry into this scandal.
Help us send Keir Starmer a message he can’t ignore. Sign the petition at: https://t.co/lOX9U2XbUs pic.twitter.com/tN2mZLG3di
The PM has accused the Tories of politicising calls for a grooming gang inquiry. In an interview with The Mirror he said: “It’s a shocking tactic, completely short sighted.
“I would implore any right-thinking Tory MP to vote for the bill because this would kill the bill, this would kill the legislation. It would kill the provisions for a unique identifying number that will stop children falling through the cracks.”
He went on: “No MP should be voting down children’s safeguarding measures. It’s shocking they are even thinking about this as a tactic. It’s the elevation of the desire for retweets over any real interest in the safeguarding of children.” He urged sensible Tories to “think twice” before backing the move.
Bridget Phillipson branded the Tory actions “absolutely sickening”.
She told Times Radio: “We are looking right across the recommendations that Alexis Jay set out and there are crucial recommendations from the review that she carried out.
“That’s why today we are setting out legislation that addresses many of the wider challenges that we see right across our system. It’s why the Home Secretary announced in the House of Commons the action that we are taking.
“So we are wasting no time in legislating to keep children safe. The question for the Conservatives today is why they are intent on blocking this landmark piece of child protection legislation that would keep the very children safe that they claim they are concerned about.”
She added: “They come along today as we set out legislation to protect the very children they claim to care about and they intend to block it and kill it stone dead. It is absolutely sickening.”
Nadine Dorries has revealed the Tory cabinet never discussed a national inquiry into grooming gangs when she was a member – despite agitating for one now.
The former Culture Secretary squirmed as she was pressed over Conservative “political opportunism”. Kemi Badenoch will push for a vote in the Commons after seizing on the scandal, which has been in the spotlight following a furious tirade by Elon Musk.
But by doing so they would halt the progress of a Bill aimed at tackling child safety. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson branded this “absolutely sickening”.
Ms Dorries, who was Culture Secretary under Boris Johnson, said former Home Secretaries Dame Priti Patel and Suella Braverman had questions to answer about the inaction. She said a new inquiry into grooming gangs was never discussed when she was in Cabinet.
Asked why the Tories had not done it when they had the chance, she told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire: “That’s a good question.” She went on: “I was Culture Secretary, this didn’t even come anywhere near my desk.”
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