The favourite to be next deputy leader of the Labour Party has issued a fulsome and heartfelt apology on GB News for saying that grooming gangs were a "dog whistle" issue.
Lucy Powell was criticised in May when she interrupted Tim Montgomerie, a Reform backer, when he raised a Channel 4 documentary about grooming gangs on a BBC radio panel show.
The MP for Manchester Central replied: “Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Yeah, OK, let’s get that dog whistle out.”
Ms Powell apologised to MPs six days later, but has now given a fulsome apology on GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast.
She said: "I absolutely regret that remark. And I immediately and quickly said so, and was really sorry about that. And I'm glad you've asked me, because I know it was a point of discussion on your channel a lot.
"What really upset me was to think that I had upset people, that people had taken that as somehow dismissing the issue, which absolutely was not what I was seeking to do or my intention, because there is not a fibre in my body that thinks we should not hold to account absolutely, publicly and robustly, those responsible for the terrible grooming gangs.
"We need to also expose and bring hold to account those that aided and assisted or covered up or turned a blind eye. Those victims have suffered long enough. I really want to be clear that that is something I've always stood for and I strongly support."
Ms Powell said she had not meant to suggest it was racist to raise the issue of grooming gangs.
Lucy Powell issues an apology for rape gang comments - WATCH
She told the People's Channel: "I didn't mean it as a racist thing, actually. And I'm really, really sorry about that.
"We were actually having a debate about other things. That's what I was trying to call out. We were having a conversation about local Government funding and the politicisation of that issue was what I was seeking to call out.
"I did in the wrong way and a way that that really gave off a very opposite view to the view that I hold. And I'm sorry about that."
Eight weeks after Powell's remarks, Greater Manchester Police said it had live investigations into “multi-victim, multi-offender” child sexual exploitation cases involving 714 victims and survivors and 1,099 suspects.
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Lucy Powell joined Christopher Hope on Chopper's Political Podcast
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Ms Powell commented: "It's a national problem. It has been particularly acute here in Greater Manchester and after the general election, I now represent part of Oldham as well, which has faced many of these issues as well.
"I'm actually pleased with the Greater Manchester Police, I think have been in recent years have been more of an exemplar.
"They've reopened now many of these cases and we're seeing Rochdale gangs recently, others now coming to account for historic grooming gang activity. And that's as it should be."
Ms Powell urged other police forces to follow the example set by Greater Manchester's prosecutors and police in bringing grooming gang perpetrators to justice.
Ms Powell made the comment while locked in debate with Reform's Tim Montgomerie
| PAVoting in Labour's deputy leadership election - which was forced by the resignation of Angela Rayner over her tax affairs - opened this week.
The result is set to be announced on Oct 25.
Ms Powell is pitching herself as the Government outsider who will be able to fully represent members, rather than her rival Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson who holds a seat at the Cabinet table.
Ms Powell told the podcast: "We need to get some politics back into the room, back into the conversation. We need to tell a stronger story about our values, about who we are, who we're governing for, what the purpose of this Labour Government is.
"That what I know a lot of your viewers would say is 'I don't know who the Labour Government is. What are they for? Who are they for? Are they for me? Because I don't recognise that'."
Listen or watch Chopper's Political Podcast on GB News' YouTube channel, Spotify or Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.