Prime minister says if Tories vote for amendment on children’s wellbeing bill, it will show ‘they are more interested in retweets than children’s safety’ as shadow business secretary praises Musk

Good morning. Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch will be in the Commons today for the first PMQs of 2025 and the Tory calls for national inquiry into grooming gangs will continue to be near the top of the news agenda. That is because Badenoch is pushing for a vote on the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would block the legislation and call on the government to set up an inquiry instead. The inquiry element is a procedural red herring would have voted against the bill anyway but, if the Speaker does allow a vote on the Tory reasoned amendment, Badenoch will be able to launch a social media campaign accusing Labour of voting against a grooming inquiry.

The Conservatives are opposed to the bill primarily because it will restrict some of the freedoms enjoyed by academies. But the legislation also contains safeguarding measures that have widespread support, and Starmer has given an interview to the Daily Mirror saying that, if the Tories vote for their amendment, it will show they are more interested in retweets than children’s safety. He told the paper:

I would implore any right-thinking Tory MP to vote for the bill because this would kill the bill, this would kill the legislation. It would kill the provisions for a unique identifying number that will stop children falling through the cracks …

No MP should be voting down children’s safeguarding measures. It’s shocking they are even thinking about this as a tactic. It’s the elevation of the desire for retweets over any real interest in the safeguarding of children.

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