Kemi Badenoch
Leader of the Opposition,
House of Commons
London,
SW1A 0AA
19/12/2024
Dear Kemi Badenoch,
The first and most important duty of the Prime Minister, is to keep citizens safe and to take reasonable steps to do so. By any measure, on evidence that is freely available through the website https://publicinquirynow.co.uk/ the current Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Government have failed in that duty.
Being made aware on a number of occasions since 2018, first as an MP, then as Leader of the opposition and finally as Prime Minister, of alleged failings within the Department for Education (DfE), that on the evidence, had led to the harm, deaths and suicides of children, due to bullying and violence in UK schools, he failed to act to ensure any investigation of the issues. Even after being informed that a separate High Court hearing had found, that previous alleged failures to act on the part of ministers, demonstrated “tremendous incompetence” and left unanswered questions regarding a deliberate cover up of the issues by the DfE, he failed to take any steps to ensure any investigation took place. His failure to act, occurred after being informed that up to 4 children were potentially losing their lives to suicide weekly and others likely to suffer the same fate and many more likely to be harmed, as a result of any further failure.
As Leader of the Opposition, he was made aware in 2023 by way of letter, that his failure to respond on numerous occasions to the information sent to him in relation to these issues, had in and of itself potentially resulted in more loss of life. This should have led at the very least to an apology. He should have then taken steps to ensure there was an appropriate investigation, to ensure no further failures and unnecessary deaths would occur. He should have also taken immediate steps to ensure children could be better protected by way of any possible immediate interventions that might be needed, while the process of investigation was set in motion but failed to do so, even after he was explicitly asked on the basis of previous allegations, to take steps to ensure that the issues could not be covered up.
Importantly, having received those allegations of potential serious criminal misconduct related to the deaths of children, he did nothing whatsoever to investigate matters further. As Leader of the Opposition, from that point throughout 2023 and 2024, he was continuously requested and reminded on numerous occasions of his duties to act on the evidence and information but ultimately a decision was made and a statement provided, to say that no investigation of the allegations would take place. He was again presented with the allegations in writing during the General Election Campaign on June the 11th and again requested in writing to act, now in his capacity as Prime Minister, on July the 15th and reminded of the consequences of his previous failures to act but again failed to do so. This ultimately led to concerns regarding the Prime Minister’s failures being raised and the case being reviewed by the United Nations Special Procedures. It also led to a request from Alex Easton, the Independent MP for North Down in N. Ireland, for the Prime Minister to accede to the call for the establishment of an Independent Statutory Public Inquiry (See the attached email).
Alex also tabled a question in Parliament to the DfE regarding the allegations. The answer from the DfE, while failing to answer the question he asks directly, clearly indicates that no investigation of the allegations has taken place by Government and that there is no intention of ensuring the allegations will be investigated going forwards. Ultimately, since 2018 to the present date, no adequate steps have been taken to investigate whatsoever. All these points leave the question of a deliberate cover up, of potentially an extremely serious crime by the Prime Minister and the UK Government, unanswered.
In all of this, not once has he directly expressed any message of condolence, sadness or compassion for the children and their families, or expressed any concern whatsoever in relation to the tragic cases that have been brought to his attention. In contrast, the case has now been raised with leaders of more than 100 countries across the world, a number of whom have sent messages of support for the campaign and the children. Significantly, the issues and alleged failures to take action have been identified by Ingrid Bellander Todino, the European Commission’s Head of Human rights, as potential human rights violations by the UK Government. Ms Todino herself has taken the time to offer her condolences and support, as well as to express her sadness at what she describes in her own words as “the terrible circumstances of this case”.
Such has been the extreme levels of alleged failure in this case, it is now actively being reviewed by the United Nations Special Procedures, as a direct consequence of the alleged failures to take action to protect millions of UK schoolchildren from the risk of harm and death. His failure to act is alleged to be a serious breach of the human rights of millions of children under articles 2 and 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998, something he has been informed of on a number of occasions, in an effort to prompt action and an appropriate and lawful response from him, to no avail.
In light of all of the above and the fact that as international awareness of this story increases, so inevitably will the harm to the UK’s reputation when it comes to the importance of child protection and children’s rights issues, it is inconceivable that he should remain as Prime Minister and his Government in power and such a position of trust and authority. His position is clearly untenable, when his competence and willingness to take appropriate action and make right decisions, in order to ensure the well being and safety of millions of school children, is clearly in question. This level of alleged breach is historically what one might expect of many of the worlds worst human rights abusers and regimes. The fact that this level of alleged breach is directed at the UK Government and has been allowed to go unaddressed for so long, is indefensible.
If the Government were allowed to continue in power, then millions of constituents represented by every MP, would be expected to allow this Government to continue to make decisions regarding the welfare and best interests of their children, when on the evidence they at best, have allowed children to be harmed through incompetence and at worst, through potential criminal negligence and misconduct. I am therefore writing to ask that you table a motion of no confidence in the Government at the earliest opportunity, so that the confidence of the House in the Government can be tested.
You will know that by established convention, the Government always accedes to a demand from the Leader of the Opposition, to debate a motion of no confidence in the Government, while there is no such convention that requires the Government to accede to the request from any other MP. As a consequence, given the previous failures and reluctance of the Government to act, the opportunity to prevent further harm and death and address the issue of serious risk to millions of children across the UK, now rests firmly in your hands.
Having had information sent to you regarding these issues on a number of occasions before you became Leader of the Opposition, it may have been that you were not in a position to act at the time. As Leader of the Opposition, you are now in an ideal position to act and therefore can have no justification for failing to do so on this occasion. If you fail to act, you will not only be facilitating a continuing failure that will inevitably lead to further harm and death but possibly an even bigger cover up of the whole matter and in the process, potentially committing an extremely serious crime.
I will now await an appropriate response to this letter as a matter of urgency, regarding a decision on the request to table a motion.
Yours sincerely,
Jason Barnett
Safer Schools Campaign Lead