Former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Rory Stewart called the grooming gangs scandal in Britain a “manageable problem” in a recent podcast appearance, sparking criticism of downplaying the issue and being out of touch.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Rory Stewart, a former Conservative (Tory) Party government minister and leadership contender, claimed that Britain’s grooming gangs scandal is not one of the “real problems” facing the country. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Were there horrible abuse and grooming gangs? Absolutely. Are there families living in Birmingham who I think are facing bad issues for their own families and society? Yes. Do I think that this is a big problem for Britain? No. This is a manageable problem. Including some very unpleasant things where the police did not act correctly, people behaved in an evil fashion, and they need to be prosecuted. But what are the real problems facing Britain? Not this.” – Rory Stewart 📺 DETAIL: Speaking on The Spectator‘s “Quite Right!” podcast to Michael Gove, another former senior Tory politician and leadership contender, Stewart downplayed the issue, characterizing it as a minor side issue. Stewart stood in the Conservative Party leadership race back in 2019 in a bid to obstruct Brexit, Britain’s democratic decision to leave the European Union (EU). After failing to win the leadership, Stewart resigned from Parliament that same year. In 2022, Stewart began co-hosting The Rest is Politics podcast with Alastair Campbell, the former Director of Communications for former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, linked closely to the Iraq War. “I wouldn’t have expected much else from him, to be honest. He is an elite man, he lives in an elite world. His political views are extremely liberal around his experiences. So, looking at this as a wider issue, he would say, ‘Well, it’s a few people, it’s specific areas, what has that got to do with the national story?’ And obviously and unfortunately, we are ruled by people like that,” commented academic Lisa McKenzie on Stewart’s grooming gangs remarks. 🎯 IMPACT: Stewart’s remarks are likely to reinforce perceptions that the grooming gangs scandal was allowed to happen because members of Britain’s political establishment, from both the ruling Labour Party and the formerly governing Conservatives, did not regard it as a legitimate problem, with some even characterizing it as a conspiracy theory. Notably, Stewart’s The Rest is Politics co-host Alastair Campbell previously circulated false claims about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk supporting stoning homosexuals shortly after his assassination in September last year. |
Same old Tories. Same old establishment.
Watch as Rory Stewart and Michael Gove gloss over Britains r*pe and grooming gangs scandal on a recent podcast.
"Were there horrible abuse and grooming gangs? Absolutely. Do I think that this is a big problem for Britain? No."
"Okay."… pic.twitter.com/9Vc26t9bNw
— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) September 15, 2026
Image via No 10 Downing Street.
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