Grooming gangs: ‘The Tory dead cat strategy is to weaponise Islamophobia’

What does an American billionaire, a convicted criminal and the Conservative Party all have in common? Muslims apparently. They can’t get enough.

Wild claims from Elon Musk, who found his new champion in Tommy Robinson as he ditched his mate Nigel, sent UK politics in a tailspin.

Now the top tier of the Conservative Party seem to be scrambling to say the most anti-Muslim commentary they can get away with, in what must be the most disgraceful game of political chicken in a long while.

They could have stood up for their colleague and my friend Jess Phillips MP and called out Musk’s dangerous fixation on a woman in politics, who actually has a track record in tackling violence against women and girls. They chose to legitimise and give it a platform instead.

Back when things were normal (remember those times?), Musk’s interference would have been called out from both sides of the political divide and decent Conservatives would have called it un-British.

They would have understood how dangerous it is to pit communities against each other in this manner. But what does a political party that has nothing left to offer the country do? So devoid of ideas, a political project even, it resorts desperately to a dead cat strategy.

‘Sinister weaponisation of Islamophobia’

In this case, they have been gifted one from the far right and, for the good of the country, they should think very carefully about how they proceed.

Ramping up the anti-Muslim rhetoric, something which has become mainstream, can only have far-reaching and dangerous consequences. Yet, it seems, the party of Burke and Peel have no moderation. In fact, they seem set on embracing it belt and braces.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, long – awaited legislation which strengthens safeguarding and welfare for British children, is the latest casualty of this approach.

The Conservative’s wrecking amendment that called for an inquiry into child grooming gangs, following similar calls from Elon Musk, would have killed the Children’s Bill before it even started; halting important legislation that would bring forward the biggest child protection laws in generation.

READ MORE: Diane Abbott: ‘Labour must do more to change our toxic migration debate’

And this is despite a previous seven-year independent review which concluded in 2022. But it is the sinister weaponisation of Islamophobia that has surrounded the debate, which has been more telling.

Whether it’s the divisive language used by the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Jenrick, who has also recently become obsessed with cousin marriage (I assume a major issue for his constituents?), describing Britons of Pakistani origin as ‘people with alien cultures’ and ‘medieval attitudes towards women’ responsible for grooming gangs.

Or Kemi Badenoch, who has not only defended him, but also suggested that the failure to back an inquiry into grooming gangs would enable people to “smear all British Muslims”. Could we say this about any other group of people?

Would a failure to back an inquiry into Jimmy Saville enable smears against innocent Christians? Catholics? white people? DJ’s or BBC employees? This is culture wars at its worse and places the UK at a dangerous precipice.

Why now?

Now let me be clear, child sexual abuse and exploitation from grooming gangs should be taken incredibly seriously. There should be no special treatment based on race, ethnicity or religion when it comes to the law and the safeguarding of our children should be our absolute priority.

But let us not be fooled into thinking that ending violence against women and girls is what is driving Tommy Robinson, Elon Musk, or even, the senior leadership of the Conservative and Reform parties.

This is pure and simple political opportunism on the backs of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

READ MORE: ‘Why Reform poses a threat to Labour among young men’

A simple search on Hansard demonstrates that prior to January 8 2025, Kemi Badenoch has never raised the issue of grooming gangs in Parliament despite her previous role as the Minister for Women and Equalities from 2022-2024.

Similarly, Robert Jenrick failed to raise this issue once during the fourteen years of a Conservative government, in which he served as a Minister.

Furthermore, there have been several inquiries and reports into grooming gangs since 2013 at both a national and local level, which have investigated the scale and scope of organised criminal sexual abuse and proposed new measures to enhance safeguarding practices.

Victoria Derbyshire’s recent analysis highlighted that despite multiple reports and inquiries under the previous Conservative Government, they failed to implement many of the recommendations of the national child sex abuse inquiry.

Challenging bad faith actors

The victims of abuse deserve justice and they deserve action, implementing much needed reforms. As Professor Alexis Jay, Chair of the child abuse inquiry, puts ‘We’ve had enough of inquiries, consultation and discussions…’

So, if it’s not about the victims, why then the sudden interest? The fact is I know many Muslim colleagues who wanted to speak out, but they know, as do I, that simple act would mean being on the receiving end of abuse and anonymous threats of violence and rape.

This is precisely the culture of fear that these bad faith actors want; all while bemoaning and insisting cancel culture exists and the white cliffs of free speech are crumbling into the English Channel as migrants are scrambling over its corpse.

So that’s why they are so interested and that’s what they want.

Cancel culture doesn’t exist, migrants aren’t evil and if you like picking on minorities because it’s politically advantageous you need a hobby or some friends.

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