Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party’s (UK) leader, has blamed the growing gang crisis on ‘peasant’ immigration from poorer sections of foreign countries.
The Tory leader renewed calls for a national investigation into the scandal, claiming that the problems stemmed from’sub-communities’ in’very rural’ countries.
In an interview with GB News, Badenoch said “One is on the perpetrators’ side: where do these abusers come from? There’s a lot of misinformation, there’s a lot of generalisation and many innocent people will end up being grouped in with them,” she said.
“But there is a systematic pattern of behaviour, not even just from one country, but from sub-communities within those countries.
“People with a particular background, work background. People with a very poor background, a sort of peasant background, very, very rural, almost cut off from even the home origin countries that they might have been in.”
When asked about the Tory leader’s statements, Downing Street stated that Sir Keir Starmer would not use such language.
According to the Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman, “It’s not the language he’s used, or indeed, I’d envisage him using.”
Ms Badenoch has often clashed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over calls for a national inquiry.
So far, the government has rejected calls for a national review in favour of local inquiries.
Mrs Badenoch stated that a national inquiry will shed light on the facts and make people accountable.
“This is about those victims who deserve justice,” she said.
“The survivors who deserve justice by making sure that every single perpetrator we can find is caught and brought to justice, and those who failed in their duty to protect their children are held to account and exposed.”
Ms Badenoch’s remarks come as the Labour MP for Rotherham called for a nationwide investigation into grooming groups.
Sarah Champion called for a nationwide inquiry, headed locally, to investigate authorities’ failures in dealing with grooming groups.
She recommended a national ‘Telford-style’ inquiry launched by the Home Office in locations that meet the threshold for increased scrutiny.
The findings would then be reported to the Home Office for a national response.
“Child sexual abuse is endemic in the UK and needs to be recognised as a national priority,’ she said.
“It is clear that the public distrusts governments and authorities when it comes to preventing and prosecuting child abuse, especially child sexual exploitation.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
