GB News presenter Martin Daubney has challenged Liberal Democrat MP Steff Aquarone over his party’s decision to abstain from Wednesday’s vote on launching a national grooming gangs inquiry.
The heated exchange came after MPs rejected the Conservative amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill by 364 votes to 111, with all 72 Lib Dem MPs abstaining.
“What’s the point of a political party that doesn’t have an opinion on something so central to the absolute corruption and rot and cancer at the heart of British society?” Martin demanded during the interview.
The GB News host accused the Liberal Democrats of failing to take a stance on what he called “a dark, dark stain on modern British history.”
Martin Daubney spoke to Steff Aquarone on GB News
GB NEWS
Aquarone strongly rejected the suggestion that his party lacked an opinion on the issue.
“We are absolutely committed to the actions that will prevent this from happening again and will hold people responsible to account,” he told GB News.
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The Liberal Democrat MP explained that his party had proposed their own amendment, which wasn’t selected for debate.
“Obviously we would have supported that and we would have supported the motion as a whole if it had passed as amended,” Aquarone said.
He added that the party couldn’t simply adopt another party’s ideas that went “halfway in the right direction, halfway in the wrong direction.”
Martin pressed further, accusing the Liberal Democrats of playing party politics by refusing to participate in the Conservative amendment.
You can watch the grilling above
GB NEWS
“Because it wasn’t the amendment you wanted, you’ve played party politics and refused to participate in a Conservative amendment,” he challenged.
The GB News star suggested the party had “stood aside and haven’t had an opinion” simply because their own amendment wasn’t selected.
“Isn’t that putting party politics before the very grave demands of the survivors?” Daubney asked during the tense exchange.
Aquarone strongly denied the accusation of playing party politics.
“If the amendment had only been about the inquiry, it would have been a very different thing,” he explained.
The MP said his party didn’t want to vote against measures that would immediately improve child protection.
“If this is debated in a proper way and a motion is brought forward, we will support whatever measure will best address this problem,” Aquarone stated.
He emphasised that the Liberal Democrats would support a national inquiry if it helped victims and protected children, but added: “We’re not going to get drawn into party politics.”