Since Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader, resignations from the shadow cabinet have been ten-a-penny. The latest Labour MP to quit hasn’t done so over Brexit or Corbyn though – and the reason for her departure doesn’t bode well for the state of debate within the top ranks of the party.
Sarah Champion has stepped down as the shadow women and equalities minister as a result of an authored piece which appeared in the Sun last week, following the conviction of a grooming gang in Newcastle. The passage which appears to have landed Champion in hot water came right at the start of the article:
Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls. There. I said it. Does that make me a racist? Or am I just prepared to call out this horrifying problem for what it is?
The Labour MP spent today trying to row back from her comments, saying that her piece should ‘not have gone out in my name’.
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