Robert Jenrick has stated it was “completely disgusting” for the prime minister to accuse sure politicians of “amplifying” far-right speaking factors over the grooming gangs scandal.
Keir Starmer issued the comment on Monday as a part of a deliberate assertion responding to tech billionaire Elon Musk’s more and more aggressive assaults on his authorities.
Commenting after delivering a speech on NHS ready lists, Starmer was requested by Sky Information’ Beth Rigby if he was offended about Musk’s denunciation of Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister.
Final week, Musk stated that Phillips “deserves to be in jail” for denying requests for the House Workplace to guide a public inquiry into historic little one sexual exploitation in Oldham and known as her a “rape genocide apologist”.
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Starmer insisted that “a line has been crossed”.
He stated: “I benefit from the lower and thrust of politics, the strong debate that we should have. However that’s obtained to be primarily based on details and fact, not on lies, not on those that are so determined for consideration that they’re ready to debase themselves and their nation.”
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He additionally condemned sure politicians for “leaping on the bandwagon” to maximise consideration.
“What I gained’t tolerate is politicians leaping on the bandwagon merely to get consideration, when these politicians sat in authorities for fourteen lengthy years, tweeting, speaking, however not doing something about it — now so determined for consideration that they’re amplifying what the far proper is saying”, Starmer stated.
Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has now claimed that the prime minister’s bandwagon comment was a “most outrageous smear”.
He informed GB Information: “Hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout our nation wish to see justice for the victims. What we’re speaking about right here is hundreds, maybe tens of hundreds, of susceptible younger women who have been tortured and raped in probably the most horrific, evil method in cities and cities the size and breadth of our nation.
“And to listen to the PM smearing these of us who wish to see the reality emerge I believed was completely disgusting.
“Extra than simply that, this was the identical perspective that obtained us into this mess within the first place, it’s as a result of individuals like Keir Starmer have stated it is best to flip a blind eye for worry of political correctness that we’ve got seen this occur again and again, decade after decade. It has to finish.”
The previous immigration minister was criticised final week for his declare that the grooming gangs scandal “began with the onset of mass migration”.
Jenrick posted to X on 4 January: “Importing a whole lot of hundreds of individuals from alien cultures, who possess medieval attitudes in the direction of ladies, introduced us right here.”
Requested if he stood by the feedback, he informed GB Information: “Sure, completely. Now we have seen hundreds of thousands of individuals enter the UK in recent times and a few of them have backward, frankly medieval attitudes to ladies.
“We’re speaking right here about hundreds, maybe tens of hundreds, of susceptible younger women being tortured and raped.
“I cannot disguise or sanitise my language merely to make sure that some persons are not offended.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, comply with him on Bluesky right here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s main digital-only political web site. Subscribe to our day by day publication for all the newest information and evaluation.