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| Sarah Champion quits Labour front bench over rape article | Sarah Champion quits Labour front bench over rape article |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Labour shadow minister Sarah Champion has quit the party's front bench after criticism over a newspaper article she wrote about grooming gangs. | Labour shadow minister Sarah Champion has quit the party's front bench after criticism over a newspaper article she wrote about grooming gangs. |
| The Rotherham MP wrote in The Sun that "Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls". | The Rotherham MP wrote in The Sun that "Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls". |
| She has now apologised for her "extremely poor choice of words" and quit as shadow equalities minister. | She has now apologised for her "extremely poor choice of words" and quit as shadow equalities minister. |
| Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had accepted her resignation. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had accepted her resignation. |
| Ms Champion's article was written after 17 men were convicted of forcing girls in Newcastle to have sex. | |
| Mostly British-born, they are from Iraqi, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Iranian and Turkish communities. | |
| In interviews following the convictions, the Labour MP said such crimes involved "predominately Pakistani men" and said a fear of being called racist was hampering the authorities' investigations. | |
| She then penned the Sun article, which also included the line: "These people are predators and the common denominator is their ethnic heritage." | |
| Among the article's critics was fellow Labour MP Naz Shah, who said it was "irresponsible" and "setting a dangerous precedent". | |
| Announcing she was stepping down, she said: "I apologise for the offence caused by the extremely poor choice of words in The Sun article on Friday. | |
| "I am concerned that my continued position in the shadow cabinet would distract from the crucial issues around child protection which I have campaigned on my entire political career. | |
| "It is therefore with regret that I tender my resignation as shadow secretary of state for women and equalities." |