The mask slips – this is what some politicians really think . . . Others, however, either have the sense to read the nation, or genuinely know what an on-going atrocity the rape gangs are.
From the Telegraph and X
Leader of the House of Commons faces calls to resign over ‘disgusting betrayal of victims’
Lucy Powell, the Labour Cabinet minister, is facing calls to resign after dismissing the grooming gangs scandal as a “dog whistle” issue.
Ms Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, accused a political commentator of blowing a “little trumpet” when he brought up a Channel 4 documentary on the subject.
Her remarks were branded as a “disgusting betrayal of the victims”, who called for her to retract her statements or step down.
Tim Montgomerie, the founder of ConservativeHome, said in a discussion about diversity spending by councils on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions: “I don’t know if you saw the documentary on Channel 4 about rape gangs.”
The Reform supporter was then interrupted by Ms Powell, the MP for Manchester Central, who said: “Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Yeah, OK, let’s get that dog whistle out.”
Lest Miss Powell say it was taken out of context, or nuances were missed, here is the audio. It was a radio programme so the facial expressions were not recorded, just voice.
The Meaning Behind What Lucy Powell Really Said
There comes a moment when the mask slips, when the carefully constructed political facade crumbles, and the public glimpses the truth behind it.
For Labour’s @LucyMPowell, that moment came during BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions, when… pic.twitter.com/X0WPMv1JAS
— Raja Miah (@recusant_raja) May 3, 2025
Mr Montgomerie added: “There is a real issue where… There were so many people in local government, in the authorities, who, for good reason, were worried about upsetting community tensions, that those girls went undefended.”
Ms Powell issued a statement on X saying she wished to clarify her remarks.
She said: “In the heat of a discussion on AQ, I would like to clarify that I regard issues of child exploitation and grooming with the utmost seriousness. I’m sorry if this was unclear. I was challenging the political point scoring around it, not the issue itself. As a constituency MP, I’ve dealt with horrendous cases. This Government is acting to get to the truth and deliver justice.”
I’m afraid the sneer I detected in her voice did not impress me.
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One Response
“political point scoring” is the best way of addressing “the issue itself.” Its surprising that a politician doesn’t know that most basic fact of political life. That Powell lady is not that bright…