Kemi Badenoch Sparks Outrage by Blaming Peasants for Grooming Gangs Crisis
Kemi Badenoch has stirred controversy by blaming “peasants” from “sub-communities” within foreign countries for the grooming gangs crisis in the UK. The Conservative MP’s comments, made during a recent interview on GB News, sparked a strong reaction as she reiterated her calls for a national inquiry into the scandal.
Badenoch told the network that hearing the accounts of victims had been “quite shocking” and reaffirmed the need for a national inquiry to bring clarity to the situation. She explained that the issue wasn’t simply about individuals from one specific country, but rather linked to “sub-communities” within various nations, reported by the Independent.
She went on to elaborate: “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. 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.”
Badenoch’s remarks have added fuel to the ongoing debate around grooming gangs, a topic which has seen repeated clashes between political leaders. The Tory MP has had several public disagreements with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over the issue of a national inquiry.
Despite public demand, the Government has resisted calls for a national review, opting instead for locally-led inquiries. They have argued that focusing on recommendations from Professor Alexis Jay’s 2022 report would be more effective.
Badenoch insists, however, that a national inquiry would help expose the truth and hold those responsible 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.”
Her comments come amidst growing calls for a national inquiry from MPs, including Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham. Champion proposed a national “Telford-style” inquiry to investigate grooming gangs and the failings of authorities. She stated, “Child sexual abuse is endemic in the UK and needs to be recognised as a national priority.”
With local inquiries unable to compel witnesses, Champion argued that a national response was necessary to restore public trust and address ongoing concerns about cover-ups and missed cases.