MP Attempts to Sabotage Protections for Children

OPINION: Gregory Stafford’s performance on protections for children is shameful

On 8th January, Gregory Stafford MP attempted to derail the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools bill and sabotage new protections for children.

The Bill brings in new protections for children in care, kinship carers, and sets up free breakfast clubs in primary schools. Some of these measures had been suggested under the last Conservative government.

So why did he support destroying the bill?

The Musk Factor

Earlier in January Elon Musk returned to his obsession with paedophilia in the UK, by calling for an inquiry into grooming gangs. This despite the fact there had already been 2 years of inquiry into that subject. 

Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch then tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing bill calling for an inquiry. Amendments cannot be used to establish inquiries, a fact which the Tory Leader must surely have known.

If the amendment had passed, then the bill would have collapsed, sabotaging new protections for children.

Her motive was seemingly to attract the praise of Elon Musk. Musk turned on ReformUK leader Nigel Farage in the same week.

Farnham & Bordon MP Greg Stafford then unthinkingly backed the amendment. A cynical attempt to sabotage protections for children in order to raise his leader’s profile with Musk.

Protections for children are not a political football

Gregory Stafford sunk to a new low voting down protections for children to raise Badenoch’s profile with musk.

But Stafford’s attempted sabotage of the bill under the pretext of protecting children is an affront to the 7,000 victims who poured their experiences into the independent inquiry. His behaviour is an affront to the victims who have relieved their trauma while his leader kicks around their experiences to grow her national profile. It is an affront to the millions of children who will be helped by this bill.