Maajid Rips Into Esther McVey For Saying "Parents Know Best" On LGBT Lessons

30 May 2019, 12:05

Maajid Nawaz tore into Esther McVey for backing the parents protesting against LGBT lessons outside a school in Birmingham.

A group of mostly Muslim demonstrators have been outside Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham, leaving teachers in tears because of the hostility at the school gates.

Then Conservative leadership hopeful Esther McVey steamed into the argument, saying: "I believe parents know best for their children.

"Whilst they are still children, the parents need to have the final say on what they want their children to know. If parents want to take their young children out of certain forms of sex education, then that is down to them."

But listening to he comments infuriated Maajid, who boomed: "No! No it's not Esther McVey. It's not down to them, the law is very clear.

"Your views are as good as saying 'If parents don't want teachers to teach students in their schools about racial equality' or parents at a Christian school are protesting saying they don't want their children to be taught that Hindus or Muslims or Jews exist in this country, are you going to turn around and say that's down to the parents?

"That it's ok to teach the children that we don't exist? That's what you just said.

"That's what you just said. That it's ok to pretend to children that gay people don't exist.

"We're not teaching them inappropriate things. We're teaching them what the world out there looks like. I can't believe Esther McVey has made this intervention.

"You are siding with the most regressive members of our community who frankly have issues with homophobia and you're backing them, saying that parents know best.

"If a parent is a homophobe, they don't know best. If a parent is a racist, they don't know best. If a parent is misogynist, they don't know best. That is a fact."

His response to Ms McVey is electrifying. Watch it in full at the top of the page.