Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, addressed the recent controversy surrounding grooming gangs and her handling of the issue. She declined to engage in the dispute between Jess Phillips and Elon Musk, stating that she wouldn't 'wade into everybody's battle'. Badenoch defended her previous decisions, including not launching an inquiry into child sexual abuse in Oldham and retaining Robert Jenrick in her shadow cabinet despite his controversial comments about Britons of Pakistani origin. She emphasized the need for accurate language while acknowledging the importance of addressing the issue of grooming gangs, stating that avoiding the topic creates a 'vacuum'. Badenoch also ruled out any merger with Reform UK, citing Nigel Farage's stated desire to destroy the Conservative Party.
Kemi Badenoch has said Jess Phillips can "fight her own battles" as she weighed in on the grooming gangs row. The Tory leader spoke to LBC's Iain Dale on Thursday evening about Elon Musk - whom she admitted was "rude and insulting" when he described the Birmingham Yardley MP as a "rape genocide apologist" in a tweet, sparking outrage.
Read more: 'Why on earth' would we merge with Reform? says Kemi Badenoch in first major speech of 2025Read more: Yvette Cooper unveils plan for local government-backed grooming gangs inquiriesHowever, she stressed that not talking about certain aspects of the grooming gangs scandal creates a "vaccuum".
Kemi Badenoch Jess Phillips Grooming Gangs Conservative Party Robert Jenrick
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