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The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Don't assume Labour has learnt from rape gangs scandal – now it's targeting criticism of Islam in free speech crackdown
THIS week will forever be remembered as the point at which Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Government jumped on what they once dismissed as the so-called 'bandwagon of the far right'. For much of the past six months, Labour ministers and MPs have lined up to criticise people calling for a national inquiry into the mostly Pakistani-Muslim rape gangs as 'far right' and 'extremist'. 2 2 Or, in the words of Labour MP Lucy Powell, blowing a 'little trumpet' and a 'dog-whistle'. But now, after months of relentless pressure, the Government has finally been forced to recognise what was always obvious to everybody else in this country — that we need a national inquiry to explore how on Earth the mass rape of our children was ever allowed to happen, and to get those girls, and their families, the truth, justice and answers they deserve. But if you think that's where the story ends and Labour has now come to its senses then you'd be very much mistaken. Because on the same day Labour committed to a major inquiry into the rape gangs, something else deeply sinister took place. No doubt hoping few people would notice, Starmer and the Labour Party pushed forward with their plans to impose a dogmatic and dangerous new definition of 'Islamophobia' on the country. This move could stifle free speech and debate about not just the rape gangs but a whole array of closely related issues, including the growing role and impact of Islam on our national life and politics. Authoritarian society Labour's new working group on Islamophobia has launched a 'call for evidence', asking people to help it develop a definition that they say 'will help ministers and other relevant bodies understand what constitutes unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities'. But what this will create, mark my words, is the very opposite of the kind, tolerant and pluralistic society that its supporters talk about. On the contrary, it will usher us into an authoritarian society where our language and views about Islam will be heavily policed and curtailed. What am I talking about, exactly? National inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal finally ordered by Keir Starmer in another Labour U-turn Well, to make sense of this new dark turn in British politics, you need to go back to the original definition of 'Islamophobia' that was put forward, and which the Labour Party supported, by an All Party Parliamentary Group of MPs in 2018. Involving the likes of Tory grandee Dominic Grieve — a man who was so committed to free speech in this country that he relentlessly demanded a second referendum on Brexit — the report defined 'Islamophobia' as being 'rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness'. But what on Earth does this mean, you might ask? What counts as targeting 'expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness'? Anything that will be perceived as 'Islamophobic' by pro-Muslim campaigners and their allies on the radical woke Left, that's what. In fact, astonishingly, that earlier definition endorsed by Labour specifically mentioned discussing the rape gangs and the grooming gang scandal as an example of so-called 'Islamophobia'. It actually described the grooming gangs, which we now know are disproportionately more likely to involve men of Pakistani-Muslim origin, as a 'subtle form of anti-Muslim racism', and 'a modern-day iteration' of 'age-old stereotypes and tropes about Islam and Muslims'. Many of these measures, definitions and laws look more at home in North Korea than Britain. Matt Goodwin Indeed, for much of the past ten years many left-wing activists, journalists and politicians have argued that even discussing the rape gangs was an example of so-called 'anti-Muslim hatred' or 'Islamophobia'. This, alongside Starmer's concerted efforts to brand anybody who opposes mass immigration and wanted an inquiry into the rape gangs as 'far right', is exactly why so many local councils, police officers, social workers and more shied away from investigating the scandal to begin with. They feared being tainted with the 'Islamophobic' or 'racist' brush. And it's not just about the rape gangs. That same dodgy definition of 'Islamophobia', in 2018, also suggested that talking about the alleged demographic threat that some people feel is posed to Western nations by the rise of Islam could also be considered 'Islamophobic'. Here in the UK, my own research suggests that because of mass immigration and different birth rates among different groups, by the year 2100 roughly one in five of all people in the UK will be following Islam, while potentially close to one in three young people, under the age of 40, will be Muslim by the end of this century. If the original definition of 'Islamophobia', which Labour MPs backed, is to be believed then merely even debating these profound and unprecedented demographic shifts could be considered 'Islamophobic'. Sharia law And what about pointing to some of the negative effects of these changes that we can already see emerging in our politics today, such as the rise of sectarian Muslim MPs in the House of Commons spending more time focusing on what is happening in Gaza, or campaigning for a new airport in Pakistan, than wanting to fix problems in their own constituency? The original definition, overseen by Wes Streeting and another diehard anti-Brexit activist, Anna Soubry, specifically said that discussing 'conspiracies about Muslim entryism in politics, government or other societal institutions' could be considered 'Islamophobic'. So would we not be allowed to express our opposition to this kind of divisive, sectarian politics or voice concern about the fact, as a survey has shown, that 40 per cent of British Muslims would support a 'Muslim-only' political party, while roughly one third would back the imposition of a parallel Sharia law system in Britain? What all this is pushing us into, I believe, is a chilling Orwellian world where we will become unable to criticise Islam or point to negative changes that are happening within our society because of these demographic shifts. Look, too, at how the freedom to criticise Islam has been restricted through the case of Hamit Coskun, a man who burned a Koran and was found guilty of committing a 'racially aggravated public order offence' during what was a peaceful protest. In this case, the Public Order Act was essentially used to crack down on legitimate public protest and criticism of Islam, effectively reviving long-abolished blasphemy laws and undermining the notion — long central to British life — that no religion is above the law. These islands, once upon a time, were the home of free speech, free expression and individual liberty. Matt Goodwin You might remember, too, even if Starmer never talks about it while telling Vice President JD Vance we have no free speech crisis in Britain, that we still have a school teacher from Batley, West Yorks, in hiding in Britain who happened to upset local Muslims by showing a picture they happened to find 'offensive'. And make no mistake: this war on free speech is not just about the dogmatic definition of Islamophobia which Starmer and his Labour Government are trying to smuggle into our laws, institutions and country through the back door. It is also about the proliferation of hate laws and so-called 'non-crime hate incidents' in this country. These are used to suppress free speech by encouraging people to report their fellow citizens to the police when they merely perceive one of their 'protected characteristics', such as religion, race or sexual orientation, to have been offended in some way. Think I'm exaggerating? Since 2014, police authorities have recorded more than 133,000 of these dystopian measures, which in turn chill free speech across British society by warning others not to say anything that might be considered 'offensive'. Vigorous debate And it is also about how terms such as 'far right' and 'Islamo- phobia' are today being inflated and expanded to such an extent by the likes of Starmer and Yvette Cooper that they have not only become utterly meaningless but are routinely used to try to shut down debate and discredit anybody who challenges the policies of the ruling class, such as mass uncontrolled immigration, our broken borders, or, as we saw earlier this year, the Pakistani-Muslim rape gangs. These islands, once upon a time, were the home of free speech, free expression and individual liberty. They were a place where people could join together and have a vigorous debate about what was happening in their country, even if this offended others. But increasingly, today, we are ruled by people who can sense their grip on power is now under threat and are using whatever is at their disposal to try to control and curtail the national conversation, to narrow the parameters of what is considered acceptable to discuss. I don't know about you but this is neither the Britain I recognise nor the kind of country I particularly want to live in. Many of these measures, definitions and laws look more at home in North Korea than Britain. If the rape gang scandal has taught us anything then it is that we must reject all these speech codes and the policing of everyday language. We must return to the traditions of free speech, free expression, individual liberty and debate that have long defined these islands — irrespective of who they might offend.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Child sexual abuse victim criticises ‘smug' Badenoch over grooming inquiry
A victim of child sexual abuse has hit out at 'smug' Kemi Badenoch as he accused the Conservative leader of politicising the grooming gangs scandal. Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde said he was 'really let down and disgusted' by Mrs Badenoch's party political response to the national inquiry. Labour's Dan Aldridge also spoke of his experience of 'sexual and psychological abuse' as a result of grooming, during the Home Secretary's statement in the Commons. The MP for Weston-super-Mare said he 'found it galling' to listen to Tory and Reform MPs 'who never once lifted a finger'. Mrs Badenoch earlier said it was left to the Conservatives to 'force' action on grooming gangs 'time and time again'. The Opposition leader said: 'They accused those of us demanding justice for the victims of this scandal as and I quote 'jumping on a far right bandwagon', a claim the Prime Minister's official spokesman restated this weekend, shameful. It has been left to Conservatives time and time again to force this issue.' She added: 'We went further than those recommendations. It was the Conservatives who established the grooming gangs taskforce, which supported police forces to make 807 arrests for group-based child sexual exploitation last year. So don't tell me we did nothing. 'There are legitimate concerns about institutions investigating themselves, especially as some of the most egregious cases of institutional failure occurred in Labour-controlled authorities. They can moan as much as they like but the people out there believe that is why nothing has happened yet.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Baroness Casey's report 'sets out a timeline of failure from 2009 to 2025'. She added: 'Repeated reports and recommendations that were not acted on, on child protection, on police investigations, on ethnicity data, on data sharing, on support for victims. 'For 14 of those 16 years, her party was in government, including years when she was the minister for children and families, then the minister for equalities, covering race and ethnicity issues and violence against women and girls, and I did not hear her raise any of these issues until January of this year.' Speaking of his own experiences of abuse, Mr Babarinde said 'the horror, the trauma, the guilt never leaves you'. The MP for Eastbourne said: 'As a survivor of child sexual abuse myself, I stand in solidarity with the many victims and survivors that the system has failed over many, many years. 'And I can say that the horror, the trauma, the guilt never leaves you, and I so hope that every survivor who is identified here receives the mental health support and otherwise they deserve to rebuild their lives. 'Survivors have witnessed very many promises, 20 recommendations, and the call of 'never again', time and again. What will the Home Secretary do and how will she reassure them that this won't be another one of those examples?' He continued: 'I am really let down and disgusted that the leader of the Opposition began her remarks with a party political assault on her opponents like this. Victims and survivors deserve more than a smug 'I told you so', diatribe. Victims and survivors deserve action.' In her reply, Ms Cooper said his speaking out would help other victims and confirmed the Government wants to extend therapy available for victims. Later in the session, Mr Aldridge said: 'I want to pay tribute to victims, survivors and campaigners. I am 40 years old, and it has taken me to be 40 to be able to talk about some of the abuse that happened when I was a child. 'As one of the countless victims living with the impacts of grooming, sexual and psychological abuse, I found it galling to watch Tory and Reform members who never once lifted a finger.' In response to groans from the Opposition benches, he added: 'No, you didn't. You didn't.' Mr Aldridge accused opposition parties of 'appointing themselves as defenders of abuse for political gain', adding: 'Does the minister agree with me that neither history nor the British people will be kind to the sickening political opportunism we have seen from the parties opposite?' Ms Cooper thanked Mr Aldridge for 'speaking out about his experiences, because to speak out as a victim of child abuse in this way is immensely difficult, and I think everyone should listen to what victims and survivors have to say'. She added: 'He is right that this should be something that everyone can agree on, because it's about the protection of children, it's about the tackling of serious crime, and I would hope that is something that all of us can do with respect and together.' Elsewhere in the session, Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said blaming 'entire communities' does 'nothing to protect innocent victims'. She said: 'British Muslims stand on the side of victims and support the full force of the law against all perpetrators of abuse. 'But would the Home Secretary agree with me that those that display selected outrage or fan the flames to blame entire communities do nothing to protect innocent victims or further the cause of victims?' In her reply, Ms Cooper said 'the horror at crimes committed against children and particularly against young girls' is 'shared right across communities'. 'It is in the interests of those children and of those victim survivors that we have reforms now,' she added.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer bows to pressure to launch new grooming gangs investigation
Keir Starmer has launched a sweeping national operation to investigate grooming gangs and a statutory inquiry into institutional failure, marking a significant reversal after months of pressure on Labour to act. The National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK's top investigative body, has been tasked with leading a coordinated national push to reopen historic group-based child sexual abuse cases and identify offenders who slipped through the cracks of previous police efforts. The new operation will also aim to 'put vile criminals behind bars' and bring justice to victims whose cases were not previously progressed through the justice system, according to officials. More than 800 such cases have already been reopened since January. Officials say the aim now is to scale that up, combining forces across regional police, specialist exploitation teams and national units such as Operation Hydrant. The crackdown will also involve the child sexual exploitation taskforce and the tackling organised exploitation programme, working in partnership to strengthen local investigations and improve police handling of abuse cases. The move comes alongside the formal launch of a statutory public inquiry, with powers to compel witnesses and direct local investigations, after a rapid review by Louise Casey concluded a new probe was necessary. The inquiry will scrutinise how institutions – including local councils, police forces and elected officials – failed vulnerable girls across the UK, with a specific focus on mishandled or ignored complaints. It will be able to 'compel local deep-dive investigations' into historical cases and demand answers where complaints of wrongdoing or cover-ups have been made, under powers granted by the 2005 Inquiries Act. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said survivors of the abuse had been ignored for too long and described the new inquiry as a means to get 'truth and justice'. 'Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now,' she said. The shift follows months of public and political pressure. Labour had previously resisted backing a national inquiry, arguing that years of investigations and reviews – including the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse led by Prof Alexis Jay – had already exposed serious failings. But Starmer appointed Lady Casey earlier this year to revisit the case for further action, and has now accepted all of her recommendations. The inquiry will be chaired by a single figure and report independently, with the power to compel testimony and access to institutional records. Speaking on Sunday, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, defended the change in position. 'The prime minister wanted to assure himself that everything possible was being done,' she told the BBC. 'This is about justice – not grandstanding.' But the U-turn has not gone unnoticed. The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, has welcomed the move but accused the Labour government of dragging its feet. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, called on Starmer to apologise for what she described as 'six wasted months'. The government had come under growing pressure to shift its stance after senior Conservatives, Farage, campaigners, some victims' families – and even Elon Musk – said only a full statutory inquiry could deliver accountability. Dan Carden, a Labour backbencher from the party's Blue Labour wing, was the first to publicly break ranks, urging Starmer to 'use the full power of the state'. In January, Tory MPs tabled an amendment to force a vote on establishing such an inquiry – a move that was blocked when Labour joined most MPs in voting it down. At the time, Badenoch accused Labour of risking the perception of a 'cover-up'. Pressed on that, Reeves said Labour had always taken the issue seriously. 'The Conservatives could have done another national inquiry, but they didn't. We've been focused on implementing the recommendations of the Alexis Jay review and other reviews, because there's recommendations that have just been sitting on the table.' When asked whether Labour ministers would apologise to campaigners previously dismissed as alarmist, Reeves sidestepped the question. 'The most important thing here is the victims. Not people's hurt feelings,' she said. Officials say the goal is not only to jail more offenders, but to challenge what ministers now describe as a longstanding culture of denial. It is also expected to 'strengthen the commitment' to locally led inquiries, with the national chair empowered to oversee their direction. The NCA-led crackdown will run in parallel, targeting known offenders, re-examining cases closed prematurely, and supporting forces to improve how child sexual exploitation is investigated. Cooper added: 'More than 800 grooming gang cases have already been identified by police after I asked them to look again at cases which had closed too early. 'Now we are asking the National Crime Agency to lead a major nationwide operation to track down more perpetrators and bring them to justice.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rachel Reeves Clashes With Trevor Phillips Over Labour's Grooming Gangs U-Turn
Rachel Reeves clashed with Trevor Phillips after the government U-turned on its opposition to a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. Keir Starmer has previously accused opposition politicians calling for one of jumping on a 'bandwagon of the far-right'. But he announced on Saturday that he supports the recommendations of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey, which is being published next week. It is expected to call for a judge-led inquiry into the grooming and sexual abuse of young girls across the country, mainly by groups of men of Pakistani origin. On Sky News this morning, Phillips asked Reeves whether those who had been dismissed for raising the issue were due an apology from the government. As the chancellor tried to say the 'most important thing' was getting justice for the victims of the grooming gangs, Phillips told her: 'No, what I've asked you is the most important thing.' Reeves then hit back: 'No no no. Trevor, what is the most important thing here? It is the victims and it's not people's hurt feelings about how they've been spoken about. 'The most important thing here is the victims of these evil crimes.' Undeterred, Phillips said: 'The reason this matters is because those people who raised these matters on behalf of victims, who cannot often speak for themselves, were accused by government ministers of 'total nonsense, misinformation and racism'. Surely that's important as well?' Reeves replied: 'The most important thing is the victims themselves, and we have been busy as a government implementing the 200 or so recommendations of the previous inquiry.' 'The most important thing is not people's hurt feelings about how they've been spoken about'@TrevorPTweets presses Chancellor @RachelReevesMP on whether the government was wrong to dismiss calls for a grooming gang inquiry as misinformation.#TrevorPhillips📺 Sky 501 — Sky News (@SkyNews) June 15, 2025 Keir Starmer Performs Major U-Turn As He Backs National Inquiry Into Groomings Gangs Here's Why Lucy Powell's Comments On Grooming Gangs Really Matter Yvette Cooper Slams 'Party Political Misinformation' Around Grooming Gang Probes
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Downing Street risks fresh row with claims rape gang tragedy has been ‘weaponized' – but won't say by who
DOWNING Street risked a major row today after claiming the grooming gangs scandal has been "weaponised" for political gain. A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer declared it was "obviously disappointing" to witness "political point scoring" on such a grave issue. However, No. 10 refused to identify who they believed was guilty of exploiting the scandal. It comes after Cabinet Minister Lucy Powell provoked outrage by dismissing discussions surrounding grooming gangs as 'dog whistle' politics. Her remarks, which likened the discourse to "blowing a little trumpet," sparked calls for her resignation. Despite the backlash, Downing Street today reaffirmed Sir Keir's full confidence in Ms Powell. When pressed on whether the PM shared Ms Powell's view that the scandal was being "weaponised," his spokesperson said: "It's obviously disappointing for people to engage in this kind of behaviour. "But the Prime Minister remains focused on taking the necessary action to deliver justice for victims, rather than becoming embroiled in political point scoring." When further questioned on who exactly was guilty of such tactics, the spokesperson added: "Any attempt at political point scoring on an issue as serious as this is disappointing. "The government's priority is ensuring justice for victims." Dr Lawrence Newport, a prominent campaigner for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, lambasted the government's stance, accusing it of failing victims. He said: "The government's attitude that this is political point scoring is just ignoring that people are severely disappointed that the government has done NOTHING to help victims. "There has been a cover-up. "This does nothing more than help those that covered it up for decades." Earlier today, Health Secretary Wes Streeting also weighed in, branding Ms Powell's remarks "indefensible."
