Should Lucy Powell resign?

[Imnobody4]

I agree with every word in Brendan O'Neill's article about Lucy Powell's disgraceful attitude on Any Questions. This was not misspeaking it was a mask slipping.
I'm shocked.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-ugly-truth-about-lucy-powells-grooming-gangs-comments/

This isn't even close to an apology.

https://x.com/LucyMPowell/status/1918723444918661357?t=JKfnXO5ZtjGDtKVOlyj8aw&s=19

In the heat of a discussion on AQ, I would like to clarify that I regard issues of child exploitation & 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 Gvt is acting to get to the truth, and deliver justice.

I think she should. We know what calling things a dog whistle means. It means the person has dismissed something out of hand as not worth considering or responding to and they believe the topic isn't worthy of genuine concern. The Government in general has to get away from the idea that any concerns that don't fit with their view of how society should work is a culture war. I'm a Labour voter but I think the Government is tone deaf. I don't know who their advisers are.

What she said wasn’t clumsy or stammering, it was a cold dismissal of girls who are still being abused. Disgraceful

Yes I think she should resign. We need to take the abuse of women and girls incredibly seriously and that means having difficult conversations about men (which Labour are not good at as we know). Also important can we not abuse female politicians on these these threads?!

She should definitely resign, but Brendan is right, what she said shows that Labour are not planning to do anything about this, they don't care a damn about the victims and are hoping this will go away and everyone will forget about it.

It's all very well pointing out that there are grooming gangs of white men, but are they allowed to carry on doing it while police and social services turn a blind eye because it would be politically embarrassing to admit it's happening? I don't think so. That's why we need the enquiry.

Groups of men grooming and raping young girls is utterly vile crime, and the men caught doing it should all be harshly punished in the same way, no matter what their ethnicity.

Starmer should sack her.

I'm on the fence whether she should resign or not.

But, Brendan is correct, she was expressing the governments attitude. It's what they say behind closed doors - this isn’t important and its been used as a political attack on them.

But why take it so personally. It's local areas that have failed, not government policy, isnt it?

I think most of the local areas were Labour run councils. Social services played a big part in the failures. Having said that the problem was highlighted by Labour politicians like Ann Cryer. However, she was vilified for it. Labour on the wrong side of history yet again.

It seems to be standard for Labour.

I think she summed up Labour's supercilious attitude to the safety of women and girls in one careless outburst.

This is what they really think. They would rather protect the 0.1% then protect 51% of the population effectively..

The sooner we are rid of this vile govt the better. I can't bear the idea of Reform either. They are no better. I would settle for a Libdem/Tory/independent coalition, where they have to negotiate and compromise to get anything through.

Yes she should resign.

No: she should be sacked

Article archive:
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Labour really seem to hate women. Particularly the mouthy, working class kind. The type that won’t shut up speaking uncomfortable truths.

Why won’t these women be grateful? They ought to be quiet and listen to those who know best, they are on the right side of history after all.

I think that Brendan O'Neill is correct that Lucy Powell made herself perfectly clear. Her choice of words was bad enough but the way in which she rushed to interrupt Tim Montgomery and the sneer in her voice as she spoke are really quite upsetting.

I wonder how many grooming gang victims live in Powell's constituency? Maybe they should decide whether or not she should resign.

Sir Keir is silent on this, I note. Her 'clarification' makes things worse. The broadcast pronouncement is the one that reveals her true colours. The rape gang scandal, Labour Councils and contingent agencies turning a blind eye to abuse, and the Labour government being mealey mouthed in the face of calls for a national enquiry, may well be the big scar that defines Labour's shortcomings long after 2029. I suspect there's a lot we don't know. Please sack her, Sir Keir.

One way or the other she has to go.

What she said was awful, it was so sneering and dismissive. Her 'apology' even worse.

And they wonder why they are getting tanked in the polls.

It’s an awful thing to have said and as others say - it’s what they really think. Let’s not upset the minorities.

I am no fan of Reform but blimey what a success they have been. All because of the sneering from Labour

Kier is always silent on these things. I get that she probably didn’t mean to say this in public but it honestly is what she thinks

Nobody should be surprised. Throwing accusations at anyone who challenges Labour's sacred castes is how they operate. Unable to see any issue that falls outside their narrow student politics framework.
Powell outed herself and the Labour party as completely uncaring about the vicitms of this - just seeing the issue as an opportunity to have a go at the Reform party. Classic.

Yes. Again.

It's how they think. They think the problem is one of narrative management. Powell is just unsophisticated enough to blurt it out, and it's not the first time she's let the mask slip.

Sometimes I wonder if there's a mole at the top of Labour who's actively trying to throw the next election to Reform.

This.

She should be sacked. There are girls in her constituency who were victims. She's a bloody awful woman, the worst of Labour. She's always been terrible, but everyone else is so terrible she's seen as a safe pair of hands. I don't agree with Tim Montgomery on anything, but I do listen to him on the "Not Another One' podcast and he's obviously a decent man. There's no excuse for her response, none.

And they spent weeks banging on about 'Adolescence' a drama (which was good) but can't be arsed to watch a documentary on the grooming gangs. These aren't serious people with a moral compass. They are utterly shallow.