Newslinks for Monday 8th December 2025

Badenoch set to unveil alternative grooming gangs inquiry after Labour accused of dragging their feet

“Kemi Badenoch will today unveil an alternative grooming gangs inquiry which focuses on the religion and ethnicity of attackers. The Tory leader has drawn up a proposed remit for the Government’s probe — which has yet to get under way. Survivors have accused ministers of dragging their feet on the investigation and watering down its scope. Several quit the victims’ panel in October after claiming their feelings were being ignored by safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and others. Some said the inquiry risked being broadened beyond the rape gangs scandal which saw largely white girls being abused by gangs of mainly South Asian men. Ms Badenoch’s proposed terms of reference includes a pledge to “consider whether offenders display shared religious, ethnic, national, family or clan characteristics”. She said: “This is about survivors and what they want. They have told us what an inquiry must include in order to obtain justice. I urge the Government to do the right thing and establish an inquiry that not only investigates state institutions that let survivors down, but also ethnic and religious links that caused these crimes.” Endorsing the Tory plan, grooming survivor Fiona Goddard said: “I have lost faith in the ability of the Government to make meaningful progress.”” – The Sun

• Shocking loophole could give grooming gang monsters ‘unfettered’ access to young girls – Daily Express
• Right-wingers branded danger to children – Daily Telegraph
• Grooming gang inquiry must examine ethnicity, say Tories – Daily Telegraph
• Kemi Badenoch presses Government to accelerate grooming inquiry progress – The Independent
• Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative party shells out £14million on new Westminster HQ – Daily Mail

Comment:

• Labour have dragged their feet at every stage for grooming gang inquiry – Chris Philp, Daily Express

> Yesterday:

Farage reported to police over ‘election fraud’

“Nigel Farage has been reported to police by a former member of his campaign team over claims of falsified election expenses. Mr Farage, the Reform UK leader, is accused of falsely reporting local campaign expenses in Clacton as national party spending in what would amount to a breach of electoral law. Richard Everett, a former Reform councillor and member of the campaign team that won Mr Farage his first parliamentary seat, has submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police that he claims show an overspend. The papers show that Reform came within £400 of the legal spending limit of £20,660 in the Essex seaside town, but Mr Everett claims that figure excludes some costs, including leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a blue and teal Reform-themed bar in the campaign office. He also claimed the party failed to declare the loan of an armoured Land Rover, used by Mr Farage during his last campaign rally on Clacton Pier, as a donation. If Mr Everett’s claims are found to be accurate, Mr Farage and Peter Harris, his election agent, could be found personally liable in court for a breach of electoral law.” – Daily Telegraph

• Farage Biographer Says Reform Leader Has ‘Totally Lost It’ Over Racism Allegations – HuffPost
• Reform UK councillor’s company fined £40,000 for hiring illegal worker – Financial Times
• Farage’s Party Turns On The Charm For City Of London’s Bankers – Bloomberg
• Three more Farage bloc MEPs alleged to have followed Russian asset’s script – The Guardian

Comment:

• Is Nigel Farage racist? There’s a more urgent question – Trevor Phillips, The Times
• Nigel Farage was once run out of Edinburgh. Now Scottish voters are embracing his rabble-rousing – Dani Garavelli, The Guardian

> Yesterday:

State will encourage all staff to join union – and Starmer may need his own job protection

“Every employer in Britain will be required to hand their staff pro-union messaging written by Whitehall under Labour’s proposed overhaul of workers’ rights. Under the Employment Rights Bill, bosses will be legally obliged to tell staff about their right to join a union. Official documents reveal that ministers will provide an approved statement to stop “hostile” employers discouraging membership. The wording, to be issued either annually or at key stages, would set out what unions do, the rights available to members and details of any unions recognised in the workplace. The Tories said it amounted to forcing bosses to hand out “government-dictated propaganda” to promote trade unionism. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: “It’ll be Christmas every day for trade unions if this sinister proposal became law. Every employer in the land will be compelled to promote trade unions using government-dictated propaganda. Alongside the ‘right to roam’ for unions into firms, it will result in the colonisation of the private sector by trade unions and the collapse of British productivity and growth.”” – The Times

• Employment slumps to 14-year low as Labour hammers jobs – Daily Telegraph
• Labour group that backed Starmer canvasses party on leadership candidates – The Times

Comment:

• The unions and Labour are no longer natural allies – Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph
• Starmer and Reeves don’t grasp the dangers we face. If they fail to prepare us for war, they will never be forgiven – Stephen Glover, Daily Mail
• This man could be the next PM – we’ll all be begging for Keir Starmer to come back – Giles Sheldrick, Daily Express

Public no longer trust NHS over dementia care

“The public do not trust the NHS to cope with the nation’s dementia crisis, a damning survey reveals today. Many Britons are living in fear of the disease amid concerns they could be neglected in a failing hospital or care home. The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society have launched a drive to defeat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives each year and is the UK’s biggest killer. Saturday’s campaign launch, which exposed a postcode lottery in diagnosis rates across the country, fuelled a 6,162 per cent rise in people completing the symptom checker on the charity’s website. And its helpline faced a surge in calls, with callers praising the partnership for helping to raise awareness. Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said the campaign helped to ‘shine a light on the cruel injustices of dementia’ and described the response as ‘hugely encouraging’. Dementia patients often face higher care bills and there are no drugs available on the NHS to slow down, cure or prevent the condition. This paper’s exclusive new polling, conducted by Ipsos, shows more than half of adults (54 per cent) know or have known someone with dementia. But in a damning indictment of the nation’s institutions, only one in four people (27 per cent) are confident they would receive a good standard of care in hospital or a care home if they developed it.” – Daily Mail

• Thousands of patients in England at risk as GP referrals vanish into NHS ‘black hole’ – The Guardian
• Patients told life-changing diagnoses via NHS app instead of their doctor – Daily Telegraph

Comment:

• Wes Streeting isn’t the solution. He’s the problem – Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph

News in brief:

• Zack Polanski is a post-literate politician – Alex Yates, The Critic
• Trump is preparing to abandon Ukraine – Bethany Elliott, UnHerd
• Britain’s water crisis is getting worse – Alex KlausHofer, The Spectator
• London must seize chance to lead on AI – Chris Hayward, CityAM