Jesus. Sometimes I wonder if Westminster has any shame left. Today's PMQs felt like watching two boxers trying to land the most brutal punch while dancing around the actual issue - vulnerable kids being failed by the system.
The gloves came off when Tory leader Kemi Badenoch went for the jugular, accusing Labour councils of deliberately "covering up" child rape gang scandals across the country. Not mincing words, that one. Never does.
50 towns... and nobody's talking about it?
Badenoch claimed that "at least 50 towns are affected by rape gangs" - a staggering figure that made the chamber go quiet for a moment. She tore into Starmer for refusing to commit to a national inquiry, suggesting Labour town halls are terrified of what might come out in the wash.
I was watching this live and nearly spilled my coffee when she looked Starmer dead in the eye and asked: "Does the Prime Minister think we should expose this cover up? Is he dragging his heels on this because he doesn't want Labour cover-ups exposed?"
Brutal.
Starmer's counter-punch landed hard
The PM wasn't taking that lying down. He fired back with what felt like genuine anger (rare for him, tbh). Reminded everyone of his prosecutor days, saying: "I was the prosecutor who brought the first case and when that file was brought to my attention I noticed that one of teh defendants had not been prosecuted previously."
He went on about changing "the entire approach to prosecutions" back then. The subtext was clear - I've been fighting this battle while you were nowhere to be seen.
Then came the knockout attempt: "My record was going after where I thought something had gone wrong and putting it right. She stayed silent throughout their years in government."
What's really happening with the money?
Here's where things get murky. Back in 2023, I remember writing about the Tories promising this big £5 million fund for five separate inquiries into grooming gangs in places like Oldham. My contact at the Home Office was all "this is gonna change everything" about it.
Fast forward to April 2025... that money's now being redirected to "projects such as victims' panels." Whatever that means.
I texted an old source who works with CSA survivors after watching this. Their response: "Politicians scoring points while victims wait for justice. Same old story."
The uncomfortable truth nobody's addressing
Look, I've covered these stories since 2014. Spent countless hours interviewing survivors in Bradford, Rotherham, Telford... The pattern is always the same. Authorities failing to act. Reports ignored. Young lives destroyed.
And what happens? Political football. Every. Single. Time.
Neither Badenoch nor Starmer mentioned the £4,300 average compensation victims receive (yes, that's the actual figure). Or the fact that many survivors still can't access proper mental health support.
Where do we go from here?
The Home Office quietly redirecting that £5 million feels like the real story here. Not the theatrical exchange in the Commons.
I remember interviewing a survivor in 2018 who told me, "They'll still be arguing about this when I'm old and gray." At the time I thought she was being cynical.
Now I'm not so sure.
Both sides claim to want "truth and justice" - that's what Starmer explicitly promised today. But victims have heard these promises before. From Labour, from Conservatives... from everyone with a podium and a soundbite.
Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking. And somewhere, right now, another vulnerable child is being failed by the very system that's supposed to protect them.
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https://hellofaread.com/politics/trumps-100day-victory-lap-golden-age-claims-fiery-detroit-speech-leave-supporters-ecstatic
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