Cambridgeshire councillor’s ‘evil’ remark appalling, says Starmer

The prime minister has described comments by a Reform UK councillor that children in care were “downright evil” as “utterly appalling”.

Andy Osborn is being investigated over the remarks he made at a Cambridgeshire County Council meeting in June as care placements were being discussed.

In Prime Minister’s Questions Sir Keir Starmer labelled Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage as “spineless” after he did not address the comments.

Osborn and Reform UK have both declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

Osborn told the council’s Children and Young People Committee that some children in care were “not just naughty children, they can be downright evil”.

He said he had heard of cases where children were “smashing cars up, running away from home, and are on drugs”.

The councillor, who represents Roman Bank and Peckover, was later replaced on the committee by another Reform UK councillor and is currently under investigation by the authority over the comments.

In Parliament on Wednesday Labour MP Darren Paffey raised the comments and called on the prime minister to condemn Reform UK’s “vile rhetoric”.

Responding, Sir Keir said: “The comments about children in care being evil are utterly appalling, and now the member for Clacton [Farage] has heard them, I’m sure he’ll want to condemn them right now.”

Farage was called to speak next, but said: “No, I’ve only got 30 seconds.”

The Reform UK leader went on to ask a question about hotels housing asylum seekers, saying: “The prime minister has stated very clearly that he wants to close the migrant hotels by the end of this Parliament.

“Well, the Reform-led West Northamptonshire Council, brilliantly led council, will be issuing foreclosure notices on three migrant hotels within the next few days in response to grave public concern about the safety of women and girls on the streets of West Northamptonshire.

“Would the prime minister approve of us speeding up the closure of the migrant hotels?”

Sir Keir replied: “We will grip the mess we inherited and close every hotel. Under the previous government, there were 400 hotels, now there are only 200 remaining.

“But he [Farage] says he doesn’t have time to condemn the comments calling children in care evil… Utterly spineless.”