On 8th January, Green MPs Sian Berry and Ellie Chowns voted against an amendment to Labour’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools bill which called for a national inquiry into the grooming gang rape scandal.
In spite of 49 Labour MPs missing in action on the night, Labour defeated Kemi Badenoch conservative party’s amendment by a comfortable majority of 362 + 2 Greens.
Whilst 111 MPs voted for the amendment, no vote was recorded for 220 MPs. Not taking part in voting is the only way MPs can register their wish to abstain on an issue they feel unhappy about or that simply needs new legislation.
Those who therefore “abstained” on the night of 8th January included all 72 Liberal Democrats MPs, all 9 Scottish National Party, everyone of the 4 Plaid Cymru MPs and the other two Green MPs : Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer.
Just before the vote was taken on 8th January and when pushed on looking again at the horrific grooming abuse in 50 northern towns, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips stated that “nothing is off the table”, thus keeping the door open to one of Labour’s now all too predictable U-turns.
Northern Towns campaigners calling for a national inquiry, such as Paul Waugh Labour MPs for Rochdale, Sarah Champion for Rotherham, Dan Garden for Liverpool, the MP for Oldham and other Labour MPs were obviously whipped by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to defeat the bid for a national inquiry.
But Green MPs are not whippled. The question therefore as to what exactly motivated Sian Berry and Ellie Chowns to back Labour in this instance when all progressive MPs chose to register their discontent by abstaining ?
Another case of identity politics ideology versus reality where women end up as the victims? The answer came up during the BBC Politics Live programme on 15th January when Ellie Chowns quoted national statistics of children sexual abuse generally, thus avoiding to deal with the uncomfortable fact that the overwhelming majority of those convicted of such horrific crimes were British-Pakistani biological men.
Added to mounting pressure from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who signalled on the day before the vote in Parliament that he “would not be opposed” to a new national inquiry into the grooming gangs, it would appear that the sheer number of progressive MPs who abstained on 8th January is fast making Labour think again.
As this post is being drafted by The Green Light, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has just issued a statement pledging five local inquiries backed by government funding into the grooming gangs scandal.
Her “rapid review” to report within three months is to be led by Baroness Casey and will “look at the cultural and societal drivers for this type of offending”, confirmed Ms Cooper.
Survivors of the grooming gangs Sam and Jane however are not satisfied and said they did not feel they had been listened to. “We want a Government Inquiry into Oldham and into other towns,” Sam told the BBC. ”We know what is right and what is wrong”. Echoing Andy Burnham’s orignal misgivings about local inquiries, she added : “We know that a Government-led inquiry differs from a council-led inquiry.”
Long standing Green Party activists from Greater Manchester towns such as Rochdale and Oldham in particular will have been aware of campaigner Raja Mial MBE – now Independent MP for Oldham – and the massive cover up by Local Councils’ social services departments, Labour Councillors and Greater Manchester Police surrounding the shocking abuse of 1,400 young women and girls beween 1997 and 2013 will no doubt be following closely the outcome of Baroness Cassey’s review report.
As the publication of the report might coincide with the May Local Elections where Greens will be facing fierce competition from Reform Party’s candidates across the country, our 4 MPs’collective response to the report will no doubt be awaited with much angst.
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