Labour v Reform UK: on the road in Runcorn
Runcorn, a town in Cheshire, has not been the most politically interesting place in recent memory. In fact Runcorn and Helsby has been a safe Labour seat for decades. Then the MP Mike Amesbury resigned after punching a constituent, triggering a byelection. Now Reform UK are nipping at Labour's heels in the battle for the ward.
Helen Pidd has been out in the town to find out what voters think about the government and Nigel Farage. She spoke to voters who are angry at Reform's tactics of focusing on migration, but who also feel let down by Labour. She visits Labour's almost empty electoral nerve centre and notices the optimism in Reform's office. Even a passing Liberal candidate is struck by the efficiency of the Reform machine and the apparent enthusiasm for it. And she also heads to a hotel that has been housing asylum seekers to see how it has become a flashpoint in local politics.
The Guardian's political correspondent, Kiran Stacey, tells Helen how the byelection may show how much of a risk Reform could be to Labour, and how the mayoral and local elections could play for the Conservatives, the Lib Dems and the Green party. What will they tell us about the state of politics in the UK today?
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Glasgow Times
9 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Child sexual abuse victim criticises ‘smug' Badenoch over grooming inquiry
Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde said he was 'really let down and disgusted' by Mrs Badenoch's party political response to the national inquiry. Labour's Dan Aldridge also spoke of his experience of 'sexual and psychological abuse' as a result of grooming, during the Home Secretary's statement in the Commons. The MP for Weston-super-Mare said he 'found it galling' to listen to Tory and Reform MPs 'who never once lifted a finger'. Mrs Badenoch earlier said it was left to the Conservatives to 'force' action on grooming gangs 'time and time again'. The Opposition leader said: 'They accused those of us demanding justice for the victims of this scandal as and I quote 'jumping on a far right bandwagon', a claim the Prime Minister's official spokesman restated this weekend, shameful. It has been left to Conservatives time and time again to force this issue.' She added: 'We went further than those recommendations. It was the Conservatives who established the grooming gangs taskforce, which supported police forces to make 807 arrests for group-based child sexual exploitation last year. So don't tell me we did nothing. 'There are legitimate concerns about institutions investigating themselves, especially as some of the most egregious cases of institutional failure occurred in Labour-controlled authorities. They can moan as much as they like but the people out there believe that is why nothing has happened yet.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Baroness Casey's report 'sets out a timeline of failure from 2009 to 2025'. She added: 'Repeated reports and recommendations that were not acted on, on child protection, on police investigations, on ethnicity data, on data sharing, on support for victims. 'For 14 of those 16 years, her party was in government, including years when she was the minister for children and families, then the minister for equalities, covering race and ethnicity issues and violence against women and girls, and I did not hear her raise any of these issues until January of this year.' Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde (Aaron Chown/PA) Speaking of his own experiences of abuse, Mr Babarinde said 'the horror, the trauma, the guilt never leaves you'. The MP for Eastbourne said: 'As a survivor of child sexual abuse myself, I stand in solidarity with the many victims and survivors that the system has failed over many, many years. 'And I can say that the horror, the trauma, the guilt never leaves you, and I so hope that every survivor who is identified here receives the mental health support and otherwise they deserve to rebuild their lives. 'Survivors have witnessed very many promises, 20 recommendations, and the call of 'never again', time and again. What will the Home Secretary do and how will she reassure them that this won't be another one of those examples?' He continued: 'I am really let down and disgusted that the leader of the Opposition began her remarks with a party political assault on her opponents like this. Victims and survivors deserve more than a smug 'I told you so', diatribe. Victims and survivors deserve action.' In her reply, Ms Cooper said his speaking out would help other victims and confirmed the Government wants to extend therapy available for victims. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (House of Commons/PA) Later in the session, Mr Aldridge said: 'I want to pay tribute to victims, survivors and campaigners. I am 40 years old, and it has taken me to be 40 to be able to talk about some of the abuse that happened when I was a child. 'As one of the countless victims living with the impacts of grooming, sexual and psychological abuse, I found it galling to watch Tory and Reform members who never once lifted a finger.' In response to groans from the Opposition benches, he added: 'No, you didn't. You didn't.' Mr Aldridge accused opposition parties of 'appointing themselves as defenders of abuse for political gain', adding: 'Does the minister agree with me that neither history nor the British people will be kind to the sickening political opportunism we have seen from the parties opposite?' Ms Cooper thanked Mr Aldridge for 'speaking out about his experiences, because to speak out as a victim of child abuse in this way is immensely difficult, and I think everyone should listen to what victims and survivors have to say'. She added: 'He is right that this should be something that everyone can agree on, because it's about the protection of children, it's about the tackling of serious crime, and I would hope that is something that all of us can do with respect and together.' Elsewhere in the session, Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said blaming 'entire communities' does 'nothing to protect innocent victims'. She said: 'British Muslims stand on the side of victims and support the full force of the law against all perpetrators of abuse. 'But would the Home Secretary agree with me that those that display selected outrage or fan the flames to blame entire communities do nothing to protect innocent victims or further the cause of victims?' In her reply, Ms Cooper said 'the horror at crimes committed against children and particularly against young girls' is 'shared right across communities'. 'It is in the interests of those children and of those victim survivors that we have reforms now,' she added.
Powys County Times
10 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Child sexual abuse victim criticises ‘smug' Badenoch over grooming inquiry
A victim of child sexual abuse has hit out at 'smug' Kemi Badenoch as he accused the Conservative leader of politicising the grooming gangs scandal. Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde said he was 'really let down and disgusted' by Mrs Badenoch's party political response to the national inquiry. Labour's Dan Aldridge also spoke of his experience of 'sexual and psychological abuse' as a result of grooming, during the Home Secretary's statement in the Commons. The MP for Weston-super-Mare said he 'found it galling' to listen to Tory and Reform MPs 'who never once lifted a finger'. Mrs Badenoch earlier said it was left to the Conservatives to 'force' action on grooming gangs 'time and time again'. The Opposition leader said: 'They accused those of us demanding justice for the victims of this scandal as and I quote 'jumping on a far right bandwagon', a claim the Prime Minister's official spokesman restated this weekend, shameful. It has been left to Conservatives time and time again to force this issue.' She added: 'We went further than those recommendations. It was the Conservatives who established the grooming gangs taskforce, which supported police forces to make 807 arrests for group-based child sexual exploitation last year. So don't tell me we did nothing. 'There are legitimate concerns about institutions investigating themselves, especially as some of the most egregious cases of institutional failure occurred in Labour-controlled authorities. They can moan as much as they like but the people out there believe that is why nothing has happened yet.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Baroness Casey's report 'sets out a timeline of failure from 2009 to 2025'. She added: 'Repeated reports and recommendations that were not acted on, on child protection, on police investigations, on ethnicity data, on data sharing, on support for victims. 'For 14 of those 16 years, her party was in government, including years when she was the minister for children and families, then the minister for equalities, covering race and ethnicity issues and violence against women and girls, and I did not hear her raise any of these issues until January of this year.' Speaking of his own experiences of abuse, Mr Babarinde said 'the horror, the trauma, the guilt never leaves you'. The MP for Eastbourne said: 'As a survivor of child sexual abuse myself, I stand in solidarity with the many victims and survivors that the system has failed over many, many years. 'And I can say that the horror, the trauma, the guilt never leaves you, and I so hope that every survivor who is identified here receives the mental health support and otherwise they deserve to rebuild their lives. 'Survivors have witnessed very many promises, 20 recommendations, and the call of 'never again', time and again. What will the Home Secretary do and how will she reassure them that this won't be another one of those examples?' He continued: 'I am really let down and disgusted that the leader of the Opposition began her remarks with a party political assault on her opponents like this. Victims and survivors deserve more than a smug 'I told you so', diatribe. Victims and survivors deserve action.' In her reply, Ms Cooper said his speaking out would help other victims and confirmed the Government wants to extend therapy available for victims. Later in the session, Mr Aldridge said: 'I want to pay tribute to victims, survivors and campaigners. I am 40 years old, and it has taken me to be 40 to be able to talk about some of the abuse that happened when I was a child. 'As one of the countless victims living with the impacts of grooming, sexual and psychological abuse, I found it galling to watch Tory and Reform members who never once lifted a finger.' In response to groans from the Opposition benches, he added: 'No, you didn't. You didn't.' Mr Aldridge accused opposition parties of 'appointing themselves as defenders of abuse for political gain', adding: 'Does the minister agree with me that neither history nor the British people will be kind to the sickening political opportunism we have seen from the parties opposite?' Ms Cooper thanked Mr Aldridge for 'speaking out about his experiences, because to speak out as a victim of child abuse in this way is immensely difficult, and I think everyone should listen to what victims and survivors have to say'. She added: 'He is right that this should be something that everyone can agree on, because it's about the protection of children, it's about the tackling of serious crime, and I would hope that is something that all of us can do with respect and together.' Elsewhere in the session, Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said blaming 'entire communities' does 'nothing to protect innocent victims'. She said: 'British Muslims stand on the side of victims and support the full force of the law against all perpetrators of abuse. 'But would the Home Secretary agree with me that those that display selected outrage or fan the flames to blame entire communities do nothing to protect innocent victims or further the cause of victims?' In her reply, Ms Cooper said 'the horror at crimes committed against children and particularly against young girls' is 'shared right across communities'.
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Abortion laws in England and Wales face biggest shake-up in nearly 60 years
Parliament is set to vote on whether to decriminalise abortion on Tuesday, in what would be the biggest shake-up to reproductive rights in England and Wales in almost 60 years. Fierce battles have been fought behind the scenes, with Labour backbenchers Tonia Antoniazzi and Stella Creasy lobbying in a bid to have their rival amendments taken forward for a vote. It is understood only one will be voted on, and with Antoniazzi's being the lead amendment on the order paper, it is more than likely that hers will be selected. The amendments, which are due to be considered during the report stage of the Crime and Policing Bill, would see the biggest change to abortion law since the Abortion Act of 1967. 'Inducing a miscarriage' remains a criminal offence, with the Abortion Act setting out strict criteria under which terminations can legally take place. Calls for law reform have increased in recent years, alongside an increased number of prosecutions of women suspected of illegal abortions. Antoniazzi's amendment has a higher number of backers, with more than 170 names, and significant cross-party support, with signatories from parties including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, the SDLP, and the Conservatives. If both the amendment and its parent bill are passed, it would mean women would no longer be prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies. However, it would not change the framework by which abortion is accessed, with time limits, telemedicine, the grounds for abortion, and the requirement for two doctors' approval all remaining in place. Among the organisations supporting a change in the law are the Royal College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Nursing, and the British Medical Association. 'Under the current laws, women who have experienced unexplained pregnancy loss may also be vulnerable to criminal investigation, and health professionals placed under unacceptable and unwarranted scrutiny,' Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said. 'Worryingly, the fear of being investigated by the police may deter women from seeking urgent medical attention. We believe this is not in the public interest and that these women should be treated with care and compassion, without judgment or fear of imprisonment.' Sarah Salkeld, deputy medical director at MSI Reproductive Choices, said: 'In no other part of healthcare do you face prison potentially by taking a medical treatment.' She said that during what is often a 'very upsetting scenario already,' police investigations 'can turn people's lives upside down' and that some women have spent months or years under investigation before cases were dropped. Salkeld said that 'the vast majority of people are under 10 weeks' when they have a termination, but that those who access abortion outside the legal framework are 'potentially very vulnerable people' such as those in abusive relationships, or who have serious mental health problems. Creasy's more complex amendment, seeks to go further, also removing doctors from the criminal law, and seeking to prevent abortion law from being changed by a future parliament. Several MPs have signed both amendments, although in recent days, some have withdrawn their name from Creasy's, following public and private lobbying. There has been disquiet among MPs and campaigners about the rival amendments, dividing a camp of people who essentially want to achieve the same aim. There are worries the row over the right way to improve women's rights will in fact have the opposite effect, and draw attention to what can be a divisive issue. Reform leader Nigel Farage said the current 24 week time limit is 'utterly ludicrous.' The British Pregnancy Advice Service (Bpas) has been one of the most vocal supporters of Antoniazzi's amendment – and a vocal critic of Creasy's. The second of the country's biggest abortion providers, MSI Reproductive Choices, is also backing the Antoniazzi amendment, which Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs said, 'is designed to fix a very specific, urgent problem that we're seeing at the moment, which is women facing criminal investigation and prison for ending their own pregnancies. 'Getting abortion law reform right will take time … we don't want to rush that. But also, the women who are being investigated and facing prosecution and jail can't afford to wait.' She added that the vote would represent 'a massive milestone.' 'We see in the United States within rollbacks on reproductive rights and rollbacks on gender equality,' she said. 'So it sends a really powerful signal, not just to women here, that they're being supported, [but] also to countries around the world … that the rollback isn't inevitable.'
