Labour Under Fire as Grooming Survivors Condemn Minister’s ‘Dog Whistle’ Remark

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Labour Under Fire as Grooming Survivors Condemn Minister’s ‘Dog Whistle’ Remark

 

Survivors of grooming gang abuse have fiercely criticised Labour frontbencher Lucy Powell after she referred to the scandal as a “dog whistle” issue during a BBC Radio 4 broadcast. Her comments have sparked widespread anger from victims, campaigners, and political opponents, with many accusing her of trivialising a deeply traumatic and ongoing national issue.

 

Sarah Wilson, who was abused from the age of 11 by gangs in Rotherham and has since become a prominent campaigner, expressed her deep disappointment with Powell’s remarks. “This is what victims and survivors have been up against all these years. This is why we weren’t listened to. They never cared, and they never will. [They] totally dismissed survivors and our experiences of being groomed,” Wilson wrote in response to a video clip shared online.

 

Former senior Labour adviser Tom Baldwin and Commentator and Reform UK supporter Tim Montgomerie discuss the reaction to senior minister Lucy Powell calling for grooming gang inquiries a "dog whistle"

Former senior Labour adviser Tom Baldwin and Commentator and Reform UK supporter Tim Montgomerie discuss the reaction to senior minister Lucy Powell calling for grooming gang inquiries a "dog whistle"https://t.co/uMKV56XnUO

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The controversy began when Powell, MP for Manchester Central, responded dismissively to a question posed by Reform UK supporter Tim Montgomerie on Any Questions, in which he asked about her views on a Channel 4 documentary about rape gangs. Interrupting, Powell retorted: “Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Yeah, OK, let’s get that dog whistle out.”

 

 

Her comments were met with immediate backlash. Scarlett, a 20-year-old grooming survivor from Greater Manchester who featured in the documentary, and her father Marlon, said they felt retraumatised. “Scarlett and I, who shared our story in the documentary despite the emotional challenges, are outraged by Lucy Powell,” Marlon said. “We feel abused and disrespected once again, and we did not anticipate this kind of treatment from our government leaders. You have used us as a political tool for an excuse to be critical towards Conservatives rather than supporting a public inquiry. You should be ashamed.”

 

Despite mounting pressure and calls for her resignation, including from within her own party, Powell will remain in post as Leader of the House of Commons. Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed on Sunday that she would not be stepping down, saying: “Yes. I think she made a genuine mistake, she’s owned up to it, she said sorry and we’ll move on.” He added that Powell was “mortified” by the reaction and deeply regretted her words.

 

Powell released a statement on Saturday night attempting to clarify her position. “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,” she said.

 

A source close to Powell also stated that she had privately reached out to victims in Manchester to offer support and would continue to engage with them. Nonetheless, criticism continued to mount from both within and outside the Labour Party. One Labour peer told The Telegraph, “Most people I’ve spoken to think she should be sacked. Nobody expects her to survive this, and nor should she. It’s outrageous.”

 

Labour’s handling of grooming gang scandals has also come under renewed scrutiny. The party recently dropped its plan for five specific local inquiries in favour of a more “flexible approach,” allowing councils to determine how to address the issue. This could include full inquiries, but may also involve victim panels or internal audits.

 

Meanwhile, the Government is awaiting the results of an audit led by Baroness Casey into the scale and nature of grooming and the demographic profile of the perpetrators. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has committed to further action, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has so far resisted calls for a national statutory inquiry, despite support for one from senior Labour figures such as Andy Burnham and Dan Carden.

 

For many survivors, Powell’s remarks represent a painful reminder of past failures. The reaction underscores the lasting wounds of institutional inaction and the sensitivity surrounding a scandal that continues to reverberate across the country.

 

  Adpated by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-05-05

 

 

[JonnyF]

Disgraceful comments, trying to dismiss the very real and very serious issues of the rape gangs with a sneering arrogance.

 

If Starmer had any minerals he would sack her. But he hasn't, so he won't. 

[BangkokReady]

Absolutely disgusting.  This is the exact reason that people ignored the rape gangs in the first place.  Scared of being labelled racist and not caring about working class people.

 

Heads should be rolling over this whole thing.  It should be a "never again" type of thing.  But apparently not making brown people look bad takes precedence and people actively don't want to fix the thing that caused this to happen in the first place.

 

The perpetrators, and people like them, must be laughing at the British people.

[FlorC]

In moslim britain , women don't count.

[JonnyF]

3 hours ago, FlorC said:

In moslim britain , women don't count.

 

Certainly the case if they are white and working class. 

 

[JonnyF]

11 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

The perpetrators, and people like them, must be laughing at the British people.

 

Totally agree.

 

Also interesting that the "Progressives" like  @Chomper Higgot are avoiding this thread like the plague. 

 

I seem to recall they also resort to the "dog whistle" copy/paste retort when the inconvenient truths about the rape gangs that they try to downplay surface.

 

Birds of a feather. 

 

Disgraceful.

[JackGats]

Quotation from a blogger who has guts: "The grooming gang panic is what you get when you mix the child sex abuse hoax with racism".