A huge row over rape gangs just took place over in the Welsh Senedd during First Minister’s Questions. New Welsh Tory leader Darren Millar was stonewalled by Eluned Morgan when he asked if she supported an inquiry into the gangs, or about the extent of correspondence between the Welsh government, police forces and local authorities on the issue. Morgan just said it was “disappointing” that the “issue has been politicised.” Millar called for an inquiry and detailed what had gone on to girls in Wales:
“We know from media reports that young girls have been recruited by grooming gangs here in South Wales before being gang raped and then trafficked to Hereford and Blackpool. One victim has even said that she was strangled, she was threatened with a knife and her home was threatened with being burnt down. She was then raped, I’m afraid to say First Minister, a thousand times.”
As Millar went on the Speaker Elin Jones interrupted him and told him he was being “overly descriptive and, I think, verging on not not being totally respectful of the victim at this point so can you tone down the rhetorics.” The Tory leader claimed he was “simply reading facts,” to which the Speaker complained:
“The use of language in this place needs to be making sure that you are keeping well away from inflaming any kind of discrimination or inciting of any kind of discrimination… you’ve become overly descriptive and I need you to now reflect on that.”
Guido’s not sure what the optics are in claiming that factual descriptions of rape gangs’ methods is “inflaming discrimination.” Millar was having none of it either way and called for a full inquiry…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”