i the ithe conservative the leader of the conservative party, and mp5 from across the house very shortly. as we have been discussing, we expect the issue of grooming gangs to may i wish all members of this house a happy new year. and, mr speaker, our thoughts are with those affected by the recent flooding and we thank the responders working hard to keep communities safe. this week we published our elective reform plan to rebuild our nhs and end the tory backlog. we will deliver where the previous government failed, empowering patients, boosting productivity, more care in the community and incentivising reform. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house. i will have further such meetings later today.

cani can i offer the prime minister condolences on the loss of his brother. lastjuly the public backed left�*s commitment. commitment. to protecting children and without the delay, of an unnecessary further lengthy inquiry? flan delay, of an unnecessary further lengthy inquiry?— delay, of an unnecessary further lengthy inquiry? can i thank him for his remarks — lengthy inquiry? can i thank him for his remarks about _ lengthy inquiry? can i thank him for his remarks about my _ lengthy inquiry? can i thank him for his remarks about my brother- lengthy inquiry? can i thank him for his remarks about my brother and l lengthy inquiry? can i thank him for l his remarks about my brother and the other colleagues who have sent me remarks. mr speaker, he raises a very important issue, violence against women and girls, abuse, child sexual exploitation are sickening and many victims have been let down for a very long time by warped ideas about community relations and the protection of institutionings, mr speaker he raises the question of inquiry, there have been a number national and local, including one covering oldham and reasonable people can agree or disagree on whether a further inquiry is necessary. 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 was seven years, which would take us with a further inquiry to 2031. i think action is what is 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, which is vital protections for the most vulnerable in our society and i urge the leader of the opposition to withdraw her recking amendment. leader of the opposition. kemi badenoch. mr leader of the opposition. kemi badenoch-_ leader of the opposition. kemi badenoch. ~ ., , badenoch. mr speaker the house has heard that the _ badenoch. mr speaker the house has heard that the prime _ badenoch. mr speaker the house has heard that the prime minister - badenoch. mr speaker the house has heard that the prime minister lost - heard that the prime minister lost his brother during the christmas per—joked so can i offer him on behalf of my party our cons lens, the new year has started with a

focus on the decades long rate gang scandal. across the country thousands of girls were tortured and sexually abused at the hands of men who treated them as things to be used and disposed of. destroying many lives forever. the prime minister has mentioned previous inquiry, he is right, there has been an inquiry, into child sexual abuse but it wasn't about the rate gang scandal. in its 400 —— 468 pages it mentioned rotherham just once, is the prime minister confident we know the prime minister confident we know the full extent of rate gang activity? the full extent of rate gang activi ? ., the full extent of rate gang activi ? . , ., ~ ., activity? can i first thank her for her condolences _ activity? can i first thank her for her condolences and _ activity? can i first thank her for her condolences and can - activity? can i first thank her for her condolences and can i - activity? can i first thank her for her condolences and can i thank| activity? can i first thank her for - her condolences and can i thank her for reaching out over the christmas period when i lost my brother, i really did appreciate that and i appreciate it today. mr speaker on the question of the further inquiry, there have been a number, some localised including the mayor of manchester's inquiry recently, and

of course the national inquiry professorjay carried out took seven years had 20 recommendations, none of which were implemented by the party opposite when they were in government. now... this is a really serious issue and we must focus obviously on the victims and survivors, there is no fixed view on the victims and survivors about a further national inquiry, there are mixed views, but there are is a view and i share this view, that what is needed now, is action on what we already know. we already know, myself from personal knowledge when i was chief prosecutor, that warped ideas, myths and stereotypes about victims are at the heart. we have known that for a decade, the jay report called for mandatory reporting, i called for it 11 years ago, what we need now is action, what can't be tolerated is the idea that this afternoon, members opposite will vote down a bill which protects children. including... mr

speaker... mr speaker... let me just, one of the provisions in the bill is to protect children vulnerable today, who are out of school to prevent abusers ever taking those children out of school. i implore members opposite, to deify the misleading lee leadership of the leader of the opposition and vote for a really important bill. mr speaker i am shocked at the prime minister would say that actions were not taken, he knows full well that we accepted 18, he knows fell well that we accepted 18 of the 20 recommendations in the jay inquiry, and went further, launching a gangs task force that found 500 —— 550 more perpetrator, that shows there is still work to be done. in rotherham alloin there have been

over 1400 victims, across oldham, bradford, bristol, rochdale and dozens more towns, thousands more victims but no—one hasjoined dozens more towns, thousands more victims but no—one has joined the dots, no—one has the total picture, and it is almost certainly still going on. one victim from telford, we have different views but one victim from telford says she wants a national inquiry because a national inquiry because, it will hold people accountable, in a way that previous inquiries have not. it is very possible to have actions, take on more and still have a national inquiry. so why won't he listen to victims, and launch a national inquiry which would have the power to summon commences and —— witnesses and make them give evidence under oath. is em oath. is she sa 5 the acce-ted the is she says they accepted the recommendation, _ is she says they accepted the recommendation, they - is she says they accepted the recommendation, they didn't| is she says they accepted the i recommendation, they didn't act is she says they accepted the - recommendation, they didn't act on them. one of the central

recommendations was mandatory reporting and it still hasn't been enacted. i called for this 11 years ago, there they have been tweeting and talking, and well, mr speaker, the leader of the opposition has been an mp i think for eight years, her party have been in government for 7.5 of those eight years she was the children's minister, she was the women's and equalities minister, i can't remember her, i can't recall her once raising this issue in the house. once calling for a national inquiries, it is only in recent days she hasjumped on the band wag. mr speaker, in fairness —— band wagon. if i am wrong about that and she has raised it, i invite her to say that now, and i will happily withdraw the remark that she hasn't raised it in this house, in the eight years she has been here, until today. mr speaker, the prime minister is being very specific, because i have raised this issue, i have raised it

in speech, raised it publicly, he knows, he knows that as a minister, he knows that as a minister i would not have been speaking on this specific issue, i was not a home office minister, but, mr speaker, but mr speaker i will remind him about other vic sometimeses who came to me who i did help. the victims of the tavistock scandal who came to me as a minister, didn't send them away, i made sure as his labour party were calling me trans phobic, that we launched the cass review which even his secretary has accepted. so we do right by victims mr speaker, the reason why, a national inquiry is important, is because this issue is systematic, it has been involving local and national official, the police, prosecutors and politics, he talks about some of the local inquiries but these issues cannot be covered ljy but these issues cannot be covered by local inquiries alone, in fact

the leader of the manchester inquiry resigned because they couldn't get evidence, they count common witnesses and not a single person in a position of authority has been held to account. the prime minister called for nine inquiries in the last parliament, does he not see by resisting this one people will start to worry about a cover up? mr speaker, this is an important issue and we have to defoe focus on the victims and survivors and it help, lies and mission information doesn't help them one bit. mr speaker. she raised a question of a victim with me, and right to and i accept that victims and survivors are in different places on this. those they have spoken to are 1407 00:09:52,291 --> 00:0