>> well, good afternoon britain. >> well, good afternoon britain. >> it's 1:00 on wednesday the >> it's1:00 on wednesday the 8th of january. >> i'm emily carver and i'm tom harwood kemi badenoch call for the government to establish a national inquiry into grooming gangs will be put to a commons vote tonight. >> speaker sir lindsay hoyle has decided we're live in westminster throughout the show and across the pond, firefighters in los angeles say they cannot contain the flames as devastating wildfires force some 30,000 residents to flee for their lives. >> we're live on the ground as the unprecedented disaster shows no signs of slowing down and wear face masks and stay at home. >> no, you're not watching a broadcast from five years ago. this is brand new guidance from the world health organisation as

hmv cases surge in china and prompt fears of a possible worldwide outbreak. cause for concern or is this just a bit much.7 >> and remember all those ads that appeared on london telling you to join the money revolution? well, sadiq khan has been forced to remove them. all of these billboards featuring a controversial islamic preacher. this was first exposed, of course, by . course, by. gb news. >> okay, well let's go straight over to westminster on the breaking news relating to the vote on grooming gangs. christopher hope take it away. >> hi, emily. hi, tom. that's right. it's going to get quite interesting this afternoon here interesting this afternoon here in westminster all afternoon on gb news. the speaker has granted the tory amendment to the children's well—being and schools bill. this means that

there will be a vote on whether there will be a vote on whether there should be a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal. the amendment, if it passes, would wreck this bill, which is other things in there, including with ensuring children can't be removed from school that would put at risk by an adult, and removing a legal new cap on school uniform costs. so it's a big bill. but this bill put down this amendment put down by kemi badenoch, the leader of the tory party, specifically says it calls upon the government to develop new proposals for children's wellbeing at the same time as establishing a national statutory inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation focused on grooming gangs. this is exactly what keir starmer has said will not happen, he has said moments ago on gb news from the pmqs session, just just finished in parliament that it would take seven years. there's no time, we've had enough inquiries, he says. they say that the baroness jay inquiry, reporting in 2022

with 20 recommendations, only four of which the labour government has said it will push through with. that was the inquiry. kevin badenoch said it was one of the worst scandals in recent history. you need to have an inquiry to remove the taint of other innocent muslim people in this country and that's why it's important to do it. she quoted jack straw saying that white girls were seen as easy meat by asian gangs by resisting it. she said that people will worry there's a cover up. all of this will be played out now in the house of commons. in a debate this afternoon. this amendment put forward by the tory party. no one has joined the dots yet, she says kemi badenoch. but this will ensure it happens. keir starmer says it's shortsighted, misguided bandwagon jumping approach. he wonders why kemi badenoch didn't mention a grooming scandal in eight years as an mp. it will get very, very interesting in the house of commons later on today. i should say, though, that if this goes through, it still is a it's unlikely to happen because mps will be whipped to vote against it on the government side and probably

on the liberal democrat side, but certainly on the government side. so it's more of an embarrassment for labour mps having to vote against a national inquiry, which so many victims are calling for. >> it is interesting, chris, dunng >> it is interesting, chris, during prime minister's questions, of course, sir keir starmer said he met with some victims who said the opposite but clearly very, very strong views from many, many victims calling for this inquiry. we're going to catch up with you a bit later in the program. thanks for joining us live from westminster. >> well, thank you very much. >> well, thank you very much. >> that was christopher hope in westminster. i believe we are turning now to the headlines. >> very good afternoon to you. the top story this lunchtime. well, kemi badenoch has hit out at the prime minister, warning that resistance to a new national inquiry into grooming gangs could, she says, spark fears of a cover up. that comes as news we were just hearing there from chris hope, broken in there from chris hope, broken in the last few minutes, confirmed that her call for the government to establish a new national

inquiry will indeed be put to a commons vote later tonight. earlier, though, in a clash at prime minister's questions, the conservative leader demanded to know if sir keir starmer is confident that he fully understands the scale of rape gangs. >> let us have the truth. he won't listen to the victims who are calling for a national inquiry. he is making this all about a bill this afternoon. later today he will tell labour mps, including in telford, rochdale, bristol, derby, aylesbury, oldham, bradford, peterborough, coventry, middlesbrough, newcastle, ramsgate tell all of these people to vote against a national inquiry into the gangs, which have systematically gang raped children in their constituencies. >> yeah, well it's. keir starmer fired back, claiming that kemi badenoch never once, he said, raised the issue of grooming gangs when she was in power, accusing her of only now jumping on the bandwagon.

>> not once in eight years did she stand here and say what she's just said. not once in eight years. they didn't act on the recommendations. they want a national inquiry. we had a national inquiry. we had a national inquiry, the jay inquiry, the j report, 20 inquiry, thej report, 20 recommendations, not a single one implemented, not a single one implemented, not a single one implemented. >> and we will, of course, keep across that commons vote later in parliament and bring you the very latest developments right here on gb news as it happens. in other news, though, tributes are pouring in this afternoon for a 14 year old aspiring rapper who was fatally stabbed on a bus in south—east london that's in woolwich on tuesday afternoon. the attack, described by police as a horrendous crime, happened just before 2:30 in the afternoon. messages featuring doves have appeared on social media, posted under a rap video of the boy performing . of the boy performing. anti—knife crime charity project lifeline has revealed that the

teenager himself had laid flowers for another victim killed in the same area just two weeks ago. police say they are now working at pace to identify those responsible . in the united those responsible. in the united states, a state of emergency has been declared as a massive wildfire sweeps through los angeles in california, forcing thousands to flee the flames. firefighters are battling fierce winds that are turning homes into what can best be described as infernos. over 30,000 residents have so far been evacuated, with more than 13,000 buildings now in danger as the blaze continues. the latest pictures show neighbourhoods engulfed in flames and people abandoning their cars and seen running for safety. with millions of californians on high alert, the white house has confirmed that federal resources will be deployed to help contain the blaze and staying in the united states. president elect donald trump has suggested the us could use military or economic force to acquire greenland and the panama canal.

dufing greenland and the panama canal. during a wide ranging press conference last night, trump also proposed renaming the gulf of mexico to the gulf of america. take a listen. >> i'm going to be changing the name of the gulf of mexico to the gulf of america, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory the gulf of america. what a beautiful name. >> well, those comments came as donald trump's son visited greenland, where local leaders firmly stated the island is not for sale. trump's remarks have left many now questioning his serious intent to expand us territory, with denmark and panama strongly rejecting his claims here. meanwhile, the nhs is urging patients to attend a&e on their own as rising flu cases push emergency departments to what they have described as breaking point. york and scarborough hospitals are among those asking for public support, while critical incidents have also been declared across several trusts, including liverpool, cornwall and in birmingham. one patient

reportedly waited 50 hours for a ward bed, with frontline staff describing the system as overwhelmed. that comes as flu cases in hospitals have now surged to 5000 a day, with nhs medical director sir stephen powis warning the pressure is relentless and britain is bracing for a deep freeze as temperatures are set to plunge as low as —15 degrees this week, the coldest of the winter so far, and potentially it could be the coldest january in 15 years. the met office has now issued a fresh snow and ice warnings for northern scotland and northern ireland, with subzero conditions expected nationwide. the uk health security agency is also warning of rising health risks, extending its cold weather alert for england right through until sunday and meanwhile flood alerts do remain in place, though conditions are much drier after days of heavy rain. that's the news on gb news. i'll be back with you in half an hour. now though, it's over to westminster and tom and emily.

>> good afternoon britain. it is 1:09 and this row over whether the uk should launch a national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal has intensified this afternoon, as the speaker confirms there will be a vote on a tory amendment to launch a fresh investigation. what some would describe as the first specific investigation nationally into the grooming gangs issue. sir keir starmer accuses those backing such an inquiry of prioritising retweets over any real interest in safeguarding of children. >> okay, well meanwhile, the father of an abuse gangs survivor has told gb news about how he was he was arrested when he tried to rescue his daughter from a rape den. >> well, jack spoke to our national reporter, charlie peters, who joins us now live from rotherham. charlie, what did jack tell you?

>> welcome to rotherham, tom and emily. this location here is known to many as having it's beautiful views over the town behind me. but who knows? to those who know the full history of this town, this area was also a grooming abuse hotspot. like many parts of this town in south yorkshire, children were taken here away from the eyes of the authorities and the police and they were abused by gangs of men. in some cases, when the police did see children being abused, they did nothing. in some of the most appalling cases, when the police saw children being abused and those trying to intervene, they arrested the parents instead of the abusers. earlier today, i spoke with jack, one of the brave fathers of a survivor from this south yorkshire abuse scandal. he told me what his experience was like and also what he hopes will happen later today in parliament. jack, your

daughter was being abused by gangs and the police were doing nothing. but they did come for you. what happened when you tried to save her from an abuse den? >>i den? >> i was arrested outside, put in police car, taken away. >> we lived up next to stay. so as we were passing the stopped car told me that i would be arrested to go into house and don't go back. i was that mad and furious. i went back to the flat. we in a few minutes police were back, but this time in a van and it were only a few minutes. >> so there must have been some on street waiting because they know they must have known i was going back. >> so they were watching this flat where your daughter was being abused. they weren't going in to save her, but they did go in to save her, but they did go in to save her, but they did go in to arrest you. yeah. twice. >> yeah, they arrested me second time. >> took me down at police station, kept me in there about an hour. >> hour and a half later,

they're coming to because they didn't put me in a cell. they put me in a room. they took me out of the room, took me out of the police station and took film week. public go to report crimes. took me outside and said, right, go home. because if you go back to that flat, we're going to arrest you for stalking. and i don't know if you know or not, but there's serious new stalking laws coming, and we'll arrest you for stalking the occupants of that house. >> extraordinary. >> extraordinary. >> now, this is rotherham. yeah. this town. it's well known what happened here, but there are so many different towns where fathers, just like you, were also punished for trying to save their daughters from abuse gangs. and there have been cover ups and the police haven't done enough. right now, we've got this vote coming in for a national public inquiry. labour say they're going to get rid of any mps who vote for this. what's your view on that? >> the trade in children being drugged, beaten and raped for

votes because they will not have. they keep saying they're not going to have a national inquiry. the only reason they don't want one is because it's going to have to be into pakistani muslim grooming gangs, and they don't want it. they'll lose millions of votes, millions. that's why they don't care about the children or families. they don't care that children's have been drug beaten and raped. they just want everything swept under the carpet like they've done from day one. >> no labour have said they will support local inquiries, but when their mps have said that they want inquiries in their towns, they've been called racist. and cryer in 2003 and keighley, she was shut down when she raised concerns. do you think they don't want this national inquiry because it will expose labour failures and big problems in the past 100% it will and it will show you how little labour keeps saying that people's party. >> no they're not, no they're not. they would not let any child don't matter what ethnicity they are, they would not let any child if they were

people's party, keep having to relive this and not have a national inquiry to finally get it out just before this vote happens, what would you say to the prime minister, sir keir starmer? just get on with it. let's have a national inquiry. they keep saying there's been inquiries. yeah, there's right for six towns and over 50. that's just a small percentage, right. there's not been one inquiry and then six into the ethnicity of the grooming gangs. and that is the main point. let's just get on with it and put this to bed for good. people in this country deserve to know what our children are facing. and they're facing it today. they're facing parents are facing their children going out in danger of being drugged, beaten and groomed. and i keep saying drug beaten and groomed, but i'm saying it because that's

exactly what's going off to this day. and it hasn't stopped. they're not scared of getting caught because the sentences that they're getting two and three year. even bigger sentence 34 year that were for 11 girls. that works out less than three year a girl. they're trying to tell me this is serious sentencing. no sorry, but it's not. i'm just one keir starmer to be a man and realise that uk pubuc to be a man and realise that uk public and citizens deserve to know. they deserve to know about the grooming gangs because otherwise the children are not safe. they're not. >> what a brave man. he fought against the authorities who tried to shut down his attempts to save his daughter, and eventually some justice was achieved for her. almost 20 years after she was abused. when

the national crime agency launched its operation stovewood investigation into rotherham. it was a historic investigation for allegations of child sexual exploitation. one of her many abusers was jailed, but so many more in this town and across the country have avoided that justice. now, jack is lucky in a sense, because there was that investigation in rotherham and as you heard him just say, it looked into just six towns in the report out of over 50, where gb news has identified credible reports of on street grooming gangs occurring. but he has continued campaigning even though there has been some justice in rotherham because he wants the investigation that happened here in south yorkshire to be repeated into every town and city across the country, where this appalling travesty has occurred. there were thousands of victims in rotherham at a conservative estimate 1400. the case report

in 2015 found 1510 more survivors have been identified since by the ncaa investigation. who knows what a national inquiry might find if it were to be launched? and you heard there from jack that he hopes that the government can pass that. and as he says, just get on with it. >> charlie. such a powerful piece. and how telling that thank goodness jack was from one of the six places that were investigated. but there are at least 54 that haven't been yet. how many more jack's are there that haven't seen justice, that haven't seen closure, that haven't seen closure, that haven't seen closure, that haven't seen any kind of retribution? really, really shocking stuff. charlie, we're going to be catching up with you, of course, throughout the programme. but thank you very much indeed forjoining us at the top of the show. >> can you imagine that you find out that your daughter is being abused in what's been described as a rape den? you go to try and

rescue your daughter and you find yourself arrested, and then your daughter has to wait 20 years for some kind of justice. i mean, this is a story that's been replicated across the country. and thank goodness charlie peters is there bringing this story back away from the political squabbles to the voices of the survivors and their families. voices of the survivors and theirfamilies. it's voices of the survivors and their families. it's an incredible story in the true meaning of the word. really. >> well, we should say that in response to the grooming gangs scandal, south yorkshire police has issued this following statement since the publication of the report in 2014, our understanding and handling of cases of child sexual exploitation in south yorkshire has evolved and developed considerably. we have shaped our policing response after listening to the experiences of victims and survivors of these horrific crimes, and their courage and bravery has instigated this crucial change to policing. >> yes, the force has publicly recognised its past failings in terms of its response to child sexual exploitation, and we

remain absolutely committed to safeguarding victims of exploitation in any form and conducting thorough investigations to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice. if you are concerned about child exploitation or if you think you are being exploited, please report it to us so we can help. >> for their part, the government has said no child should ever suffer sexual abuse or exploitation and it is paramount we do more to protect vulnerable children, which is why we are working at pace across government to drive forward real action to implement the recommendations of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, chaired by professor alexis jay. >> and this is the thing, isn't it? keir starmer is saying, and he said it in pmqs, that thej report is adequate and all we need to do is implement the recommendations that were already in that j recommendations that were already in thatj report. but of course, as charlie and many others have pointed out, it was limited in its scope in terms of time frame and also the fact that it didn't just focus on these types of grooming gangs, and it didn't focus on many towns at all, did it?

>> it's strange. in some ways, it was far too limited because it was far too limited because it only looked at six of these towns, but in other ways it was far too broad because it also looked at jimmy savile and the catholic church and all different types of child sexual exploitation in the wake of those scandals at the start of the last decade, it looked almost everywhere , apart from almost everywhere, apart from the other 54 towns that gb news has found, but had some of this stuff going on. >> i wonder if it suits the establishment to have a very broad inquiry so they don't have to focus on just this particularly thorny, particularly thorny, particularly controversial, particularly controversial, particularly difficult to talk about issue, that is, of these group localised on street grooming gangs, where mostly the perpetrators are of pakistani heritage. it's a difficult one, isn't it? talking about all types of child sexual exploitation is probably easier. >> yeah, i don't know. well, there's much more to come on. good afternoon britain, do stay with us. we'll be looking more, of course, into the grooming gang scandal, but also the world

health organisation advises wearing face masks and staying at home. the new mpv virus

good afternoon britain. it is 1:25 and there's much more coming up on what is a packed show for you today. but first we're taking you live to los angeles, where we can see live pictures of the wildfires. >> yes, they are very much out of control. 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. the strong, dry winds are expected to get worse over the next day. we know there's been a huge amount of destruction so far. this is, of course, an area that's home to millions of people, but also thousands of celebrities and well—known people too, who've been forced to essentially pick up everything and run. >> yeah, it is slightly unfortunate that we pay more attention to things like this

when it is affecting the wealthiest and most famous people in the world, but of course, naturally we do. but it is. it is really shocking to see these fires just grow and grow and grow. >> yes. well, in other news, being told to wear face masks and stay at home. yes and no. you're not watching a broadcast from five years ago. this is brand new guidance from the world health organisation because hmv cases are surging in china. and this has prompted fears of a possible worldwide outbreak. >> well, is this a cause for concern or is this all just hypochondriac nonsense? well, joining us now is gp and medical writer doctor renee hoenderkamp. thanks so much for being with us this afternoon. how scared should we be? >> not at all, i would say so. i know you expect me to say that, but i've had a look at the figures today. so this is a virus that's actually been around for years, at least 15 years. we actually see it every yeah >> it's like a cold. it's spread

by coughing and sneezing. >> it causes respiratory like symptoms. >> and like all of these respiratory diseases, it is more dangerous to those who have other health conditions or who are very elderly and possibly younger. >> so the same warnings that we would give to this, we would give to anything, be that flu, be it covid, although there's not much covid around now, rsv and all of the other viruses, viruses like the cold, we've had a cold snap. >> so things are going to surge. >> so things are going to surge. >> so things are going to surge. >> so i had a look at the figures. and actually, although there is a very, very slight increase in the number of these cases in the uk, it's 4.53%. >> we actually had 4.13% at the same time last year. >> so it is marginal. >> so it is marginal. >> it's something that's always here and you would have never known about it. if the world health organisation hadn't become hysterical about it. >> and we're just sorry. i'm just i just want to point out that we're currently looking at scenes from from hospitals and health clinics and things in, in

china, because the media have made a link between the rise of this virus and the rise of it in china and that china, the outbreak in china, may well lead to more cases around the world. why have they why have they made that link? >> well, you know, you mustn't forget, emily, that when covid started, we saw scenes coming from china where people were just dropping down dead in the street with no warning at all. those videos can never be found now. no data or information that comes out of china can ever be trusted. >> so i would, you know, who knows what this is? who knows where this footage is from, who knows how old it is. i just don't think when we look at the figures that we have now, which are almost the same as last year and the year before, there's anything to panic about. >> the other thing to think is that we have a much bigger problem with flu. at the moment, flu levels are at about 14.5%. so five times this 4 to 5 times higher. >> so, you know, flu is dangerous to people who are elderly and have other health

conditions. >> you know, these respiratory viruses can be dangerous. but is this going to be the next pandemic? well, i don't have a crystal ball. i can never say neveh crystal ball. i can never say never. but i would say that common things are common. this is like a common cold and we must treat it like that. we must be careful, sneeze into a tissue and throw it away. wash our hands all of the time. if you are feeling really grotty and you have a bad cold, don't go to a party or on the tube and spread it. just be sensible. i don't advocate for masks because all of the evidence says that these viruses are much smaller than the holes in the masks, and that masks do nothing but pollute the environment and make people scared of you. >> it's interesting, though, to see, as we were, that footage in china, it does sort of ring back to i can't quite believe it was five years ago . in march this five years ago. in march this year will be the fifth anniversary of the prime minister sitting down at that desk in downing street saying, stay at home, don't see your friends. if your friends ask you to see them, you should say no.

it's easy to see sort of how all of this evocative imagery is reminding us all of that, of this evocative imagery is reminding us all of tha