Express columnist Carole Malone has been passionate about ending child exploitation in numerous recent debates – and when the topic turned to grooming gangs this week, she clashed furiously with journalist Benjamin Butterworth on GB News, as he sought to defend Labour amid allegations of a cover-up.

Benjamin insisted as the debate got heated: “Some people use [the grooming gangs scandal] to antagonise rather than think about the real issues.” He added that “those people that went out and rioted were a complete disgrace”. An enraged Carole shot back: “How can you antagonise people by asking them to take it seriously?”

She rejected the idea that the scandal was being used as a political tool, and while Labour supporter Benjamin argued that the party had been addressing the issues, she exclaimed: “That’s a lie!”

Carole slammed MP Lucy Powell for claiming to “take the business of child exploitation seriously” and argued that when she was asked about the thorny topic, she “completely sneered at it”.

It comes amid calls for her to resign for her suggestion that challenging Labour’s decision not to have a national enquiry into the gangs is “dog whistle” politics.

Benjamin claimed that Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, had been “working on this long before anyone from Reform started tweeting about it”, adding: “That’s a Labour MP from one of the areas that was most affected.”

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However, one of the panellists challenged: “She was sacked by the Labour hierarchy for raising the issue – we wonder why Labour MPs don’t talk about it!”

Sarah had quit after making the claim in an article she’d written for the Sun that “Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls”.

The comments had been made following the convictions of 17 men in Newcastle for child sexual exploitation – and she also stated that a fear of being seen as racist was hampering investigations into attacks.

She subsequently apologised for what she said was an “extremely poor choice of words”, before quitting her job as shadow equalities minister back in 2017.

Carole felt the episode demonstrated the growing claims that Labour had attempted to cover up the extent of abuse affecting vulnerable white girls, some from children’s homes or troubled backgrounds.