The webchat began at 12.30pm and at first it seemed as though Thornberry was going to be able to put in a 60 minute powerhouse performance. There were murmurs of approval and optimism. I learned a lot about her background and her frustrations with the current Labour Party culture. Women were rooting for her. It was all going so well. And then … well, something went wrong. A couple of simple questions about freedom of expression, no-platforming at universities, and women’s rights, left Thornberry - a barrister, no less - floundering in the wake of her own cognitive dissonance on sex and gender. She started closing down.
Read moreKeir Starmer's Mumsnet Webchat & the ‘Lost’ Inquiry into Children's Safeguarding
Mumsnet is a massive website, used primarily by (millions of) women, particularly from the UK. Any British politician who doesn’t engage comprehensively with questions about women and children during a MN Webchat is pretty much pissing about on the sidelines of debate before scoring an own goal. It happened to Penny Mordaunt and now it’s happened to Keir Starmer. This is especially noteworthy given that before the webchat, Keir Starmer was very much a favourite with many of the left-leaning MN members.
Read morePenny Mordaunt, THAT Mumsnet Webchat, And A Brewing Children’s Safeguarding Scandal
Today The Times published a piece of investigative journalism that follows on from long-standing safeguarding concerns around children. The service under scrutiny at the Tavistock reacted by rejecting the claims. This, however, is potentially a child safeguarding crisis in the making. One might now ask, is this Government up to the job of dealing with the brewing scandal? Last year we learned that Penny Mordaunt MP, in her role as Minister for Women & Equalities, had initiated an inquiry into the extremely large increase in the number of children presenting as wanting to change gender. What’s happened to her inquiry? These matters are too important for the services involved to be left to investigate themselves.
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