Elon Musk’s ongoing attacks on Keir Starmer’s government have stepped up to focus on the child grooming gang scandal, with several “misinformed” remarks.
The tech billionaire and X owner launched online comments at Labour politicians on the basis of a GB News article, which reported that MP Jess Phillips had rejected Home Office calls for a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
He posted or reposted comments about child grooming more than 40 times in 24 hours, including one stating Ms Phillips should be jailed. He also targeted the Prime Minister for failing to prosecute those responsible when he was Director of Public Prosecutions, and claimed there was no Government inquiry into the scandal.
However, many of his remarks, which have spread widely on X, formerly known as Twitter, are not true. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the attacks “misjudged and certainly misinformed”.
Keir Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013
(Image: PA)
Over 10 years ago, it was found that over 1,400 children in Rotherham, South Yorkshire had been subject to systematic sexual abuse and violence by grooming gangs between 1997 and 2013, predominantly by British-Pakistani men. Hundreds of victims were repeatedly failed by police and child protection authorities.
Another inquiry found up to 1,000 girls had been abused over a 40-year period in Telford, Shropshire by men of South Asian heritage. Chairman of the inquiry, Tom Crowther QC said concerns had been ignored for decades due to “nervousness about race”.
Another high-profile report found children were abused by grooming gangs in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, between 2004 and 2013, mostly by Asian men. However, a 2020 Home Office study reported data on the ethnicity of perpetrators was very limited. Research showed: “Group-based CSE (child sexual exploitation) offenders are most commonly White.”
The report added: “Some studies suggest an over-representation of Black and Asian offenders relative to the demographics of national populations. However, it is not possible to conclude that this is representative of all group-based CSE offending.”
Mr Musk accused Keir Starmer for failing to prosecute such gangs while he served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. However, Mr Starmer had actually ordered an overhaul of the Crown Prosecution Service’s response to grooming in 2012, with the intention of increasing convictions. He said at the time that a generation of girls had been let down by flaws in the justice system, arguing that prosecutors “shouldn’t shy away from” understanding issues of ethnicity.
Former chief crown prosecutor for northern England, Nazir Afzal, defended Mr Starmer. He said: “After Starmer’s involvement, the police were told that the policy was to believe the victim and then investigate. This was a 180-degree turn, a sea change in the way we approach these types of cases. And the impact was immediate.”
Former Tory attorney general Dominic Greaves said there was no evidence the CPS wrongly refused consent to prosecute. He added: “On the contrary Starmer was pro-active in focussing on this type of crime as [Nazir Afzal] has correctly highlighted. There may well have been failures to address this issue elsewhere through reporting and investigation but that is not the role of the CPS. Baseless innuendo does not contribute to serious debate.”
Mr Musk claimed that no UK Government inquiry into the scandal had taken place, commenting “Shame, shame, shame”, reports the Mirror. In fact, a seven-year independent inquiry was led by Professor Alexis Jay, reporting in 2022 that child sexual abuse was an “epidemic that leaves tens of thousands of victims in its poisonous wake”.
Professor Alexis Jay made 20 recommendations in her inquiry.
(Image: PA)
It examined abuse by organised groups following multiple UK-wide convictions for sexual offences against children between 2010 and 2014, including in Rotherham, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Rochdale and Bristol. Investigations into grooming gangs have also been carried out in these places.
There has not been a national public inquiry devoted exclusively to gangs, Professor Jay’s probe looked at organised child sexual abuse, as well as abuse in different settings, including religious settings, boarding schools and online. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has demanded an inquiry take place, however the Tories were accused of hypocrisy for failing to commission one during their 14 years in Government.
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips was targeted by Mr Musk after she denied requests for the Home Office to lead an inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham. He said online that she “deserves to be in prison”.
Ms Phillips told Oldham Council in October that although she recognised the “strength of feeling” she believed it was for “Oldham Council alone to choose whether to commission a local inquiry, rather than for the government to intervene”. The Tories gave similar responses to councillors in Telford and Oldham while in power.
Wes Streeting previously said the Government was committed to fully implementing Professor Jay’s recommendations. In November, Professor Jay said she felt “frustrated” that none of the 20 recommendations had been implemented from her inquiry – more than two years after its conclusion.
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