Labour Minister Lucy Powell Faces Backlash Over 'Dog Whistle' Comments on Grooming Gangs Amid Southport Riots Police Report; Keir Starmer Defends Her

17 posts • GPT (4.1 mini)

Updated May 8, 2025, 09:25 AM

Labour minister Lucy Powell has faced widespread criticism after describing concerns about child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs as a "dog whistle" issue. The remarks have sparked calls for her dismissal, with opposition Conservatives accusing Labour leader Keir Starmer of supporting Powell by refusing to sack her. Powell's comments have been condemned by various figures, including members of her own party such as Wes Streeting, who called her remarks "indefensible." Critics argue that dismissing the grooming gangs scandal as a political tactic undermines the victims and perpetuates a culture of denial that allowed abuse to continue. The controversy comes amid broader discussions about the Southport riots, which were initially framed by Starmer as far-right inspired but later found by a police inspectorate report to have no conclusive evidence of being premeditated or organized by far-right groups. The report attributed the unrest to social deprivation, austerity, economic downturn, political policies on migration and asylum, and declining trust in policing. The police have also been criticized for their slow response to counter misinformation that fueled the riots. The debate has intensified public scrutiny of Labour's handling of the grooming gangs issue and its political implications, particularly regarding the party's relationship with its Muslim voter base and the white working-class communities affected by the scandals.

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Sources

spiked-online.com(4)gbnews.com(2)telegraph.co.uk(2)newstatesman.com

David Atherton

@DaveAtherton20

On the 4th Aug 2024 made this speech against the backdrop of the Southport riots: "I won't shy away from calling it what it is, far-right thuggery". A Police Inspectorate report says it's entirely untrue. They found "no conclusive or compelling evidence that the 2024 disorder https://t.co/Y08KFlpoP1

GB News

@GBNEWS

'Public trust is being eroded because it's not what they say, it's what they don't say!' Comedians @JoshxHowie @CareyMarx and @MrSteveNallen react to a report from a top officer which found the police were too slow to counter the fake news that fuelled the Southport riots. https://t.co/D3aYhmK80e

VoxPopuli

@vpopulimedia

🇬🇧 Report released on Southport riots concludes no evidence the disorder was “far right”, but was due to: “social deprivation, austerity and the economic downturn, political policies and decisions on migration and asylum, and decreasing trust and confidence in policing," https://t.co/tCh2mfqDd3