Heated exchanges as public inquiry debate dominatespublished at 12:34 Greenwich Mean Time
Chris Mason
Political editor
As the prime minister arrived in the Commons chamber, he tapped Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips on the shoulder.
Before a word had been spoken, the row about child sexual exploitation was dominating PMQs.
And so it continued in the exchanges between Starmer and Badenoch.
At the core of the exchanges, whether there should be a public inquiry into what has happened.
The PM sought to try to take the heat out of things by acknowledging there are honestly held differences of opinion on this question.
But the heat is there – without question.
The government is determined to bat away calls for another inquiry, arguing it would take years and years and the focus now should be action.
Kemi Badenoch argued the scale of the depravity demanded further investigation.
Later today, there will be a vote in the Commons on a planned new law which ministers argue will help protect vulnerable children.
The Conservatives will use it to argue for a public inquiry.
Labour MPs will reject that and the government will win, given its colossal majority.
But the argument isn’t going away – the Tories have set up an online petition to try to harvest public opinion on the issue, to heap more pressure on ministers.
