Many constituents have contacted me about this week’s vote on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the amendment put forward by the Conservative party. Regrettably there has been a lot of misinformation about what the vote was actually about, and it’s important to set the record straight.
Like everyone, I am horrified by the child sexual abuse and exploitation that took place and believe that perpetrators must be held to account for these most vile and horrific of crimes. The victims must come first, which is why this Government is determined to act, strengthening the law, taking forward recommendations from independent inquiries, and supporting stronger police action and protection for victims.
I was disgusted by the Conservative Party’s cynical amendment, but also the grotesque misinformation about what was happening on Wednesday. There are two main reasons why I could not support their amendment:
Firstly, a detailed seven year inquiry has already taken place. A further inquiry, while recommendations from the previous inquiry have still not been implemented, is not the answer – and in fact would mean victims would see further delays to action and justice for the abhorrent abuse that they suffered.
The previous inquiry in 2022 heard from thousands of victims who shared their harrowing experiences. It was rightfully a very thorough inquiry, running to two million pages of evidence and putting forward 20 clear recommendations for how to better safeguard young children.
What did the last Tory government do since the inquiry was published? Nothing at all. Not a single recommendation has been implemented. In contrast, in our first six months this Labour government already has plans to implement the recommendations and the Safeguarding Minister continues to engage with victims to hear their views.
Secondly, the Conservatives deliberately worded the amendment so that, if voted through, the amendment would have killed off a Bill which contains some of the biggest measures to protect children from exploitation and abuse in a generation. Notably, it would not have actually created an inquiry either. Instead it would also have put a stop to the expansion of free breakfast clubs, much-needed caps on the cost of school uniforms, support for kinship carers and care leavers and many other measures that Southampton and the country voted for. The Conservatives were willing to sacrifice these improvements for millions of children, and to play fast and loose with victims of sexual abuse, merely to jump on a bandwagon and chase populist headlines.
I was not and will never be prepared to stop or delay landmark measures like the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill that improve the lives of children and young people and put more money in their parents’ pockets – and certainly not for cynical political gameplaying.