The SNP leader was referring to earlier exchanges at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday where the Labour leader repeatedly accused Tory leader Kemi Badenoch of having “jumped on the bandwagon”.
The issue exploded over the Christmas period after it was picked up by Twitter/X owner Elon Musk, who has laid the blame for the scandal at Labour’s door.
Badenoch reiterated her demands for a new national inquiry into the “full extent” of rape gang activity, which she suggested may have had a “racial and cultural motivation” and insisted that Labour were trying to shield politicians from the glare of an investigation.
She appeared to back historical claims, including from the former Labour home secretary Jack Straw, that “white girls were seen […] as ‘easy meat’” by Asian gangs.
Badenoch (above) said the PM was unable to tell MPs “the full scale of this scandal” and was seeking to protect “Labour politicians who may be complicit”.
The Tory leader also called on Labour to drop their definition of Islamophobia, taken from a report which she claimed also said that “talking about sex groomers was an example of Islamophobia”.
She added: “This is exactly why people are scared to tell the truth and the lack of clarity means that innocent British Muslims are smeared by association.”
The Prime Minister said that a second national inquiry could leave victims waiting for 2031 for justice, adding: “It’s very hard for victims and survivors to come forward and explain what’s happened to them.
READ MORE: Tory push for grooming inquiry ‘a shocking tactic’, says Keir Starmer
“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.”
It comes after the Tories tabled an amendment to the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill calling for a national inquiry – which Starmer labelled a “wrecking amendment”.
In response to Badenoch’s amendment, the PM said: “What can’t be tolerated is the idea that this afternoon, members opposite will vote down a bill which protects children.”
Starmer also hit out at the Tories for jumping on the issue despite being in power in Westminster when much of the detail of the scandal became known.
An inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay (above) concluded after seven years in 2022 and made 20 recommendations, which Starmer noted had been neglected by the last government.
Responding to Badenoch saying the Tories had “accepted” the recommendations, Starmer said: “She says they accepted the recommendations, they didn’t act on them.”
He challenged the Tory leader to point to one instance when she had raised the issue of grooming gangs while her party were in power – which she failed to do, saying that she never served in the responsible department, the Home Office.
Badenoch insisted she had raised the matter in “speeches” after Starmer said she had “jumped on the bandwagon”.
Flynn began his contribution to the session by saying: “Can I begin by doing something unusual which is to commend the Prime Minister on his earlier answers to the leader of the opposition and of course to pass on my party’s condolences to him for the loss of his brother?”