The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has criticized the online discourse surrounding child sexual exploitation, labeling it as built on falsehoods, with politicians “jumping on the bandwagon”.
In response to inquiries about a series of social media comments made by Tesla owner Elon Musk, Mr. Starmer remarked that “a line has been crossed” when safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and others receive serious threats stemming from the “poison of the far-right”.
These comments come in the wake of multiple posts by Mr. Musk on his social media platform, X, where the billionaire asserted that Ms. Phillips “deserves to be in prison” for rejecting calls for the Home Office to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and labeled her a “rape genocide apologist”.
Earlier, Mr. Musk insinuated that Mr. Starmer was “complicit in the crimes” of child sex offenders, adding in another post: “Prison for Starmer.”
Addressing Mr. Musk’s comments to his 210 million followers after a speech at Epsom Hospital in Surrey, Mr. Starmer stated: “Those who are disseminating lies and misinformation widely are not concerned about victims; they are focused on themselves.”
He also condemned Mr. Musk’s endorsement of imprisoned right-wing activist Tommy Robinson, stating: “Those who are applauding Tommy Robinson are not advocating for justice. They’re backing a man who was jailed for nearly derailing a grooming case, a gang grooming case.”
“These individuals are seeking a vicarious thrill from the street violence that figures like Tommy Robinson promote.”
Furthermore, he criticized the reaction of senior Conservatives to Mr. Musk’s statements, expressing concern about the direction of the Tory party on this issue.
He remarked: “Just a few months ago, it would have been unthinkable for comments about Jess Phillips to have been made recently without all political parties and the leader of the opposition denouncing them in strong terms.”
The PM also defended his record on addressing grooming gangs, asserting that he tackled the issue “head-on” while serving as director of public prosecutions.
He stated: “I reopened cases that had been closed and supposedly completed; I led the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang – specifically in Rochdale, which set a precedent for many subsequent cases.”
“I reformed the entire prosecution strategy because I wanted to challenge and did challenge the myths and stereotypes that were hindering victims’ voices.”
He added: “When I left office, we recorded the highest number of prosecutions for child sexual abuse cases ever.”
“This record is no secret. As a public servant, it is available for everyone to see.”
The controversy triggered by Mr. Musk’s remarks also saw Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch advocating for a “full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal” and defending Tory spokesperson on justice Robert Jenrick after he tweeted that “importing hundreds of thousands of people from alien cultures, who possess medieval attitudes towards women” contributed to the scandal.
Explainer – The child rape scandal dominating UK politics after Musk’s criticism
In a response on X regarding criticisms of Mr. Jenrick, Mrs. Badenoch stated: “We MUST have the freedom to engage in difficult conversations, no matter how challenging they may be to hear.”
Mr. Starmer also accused the Conservatives of “amplifying the far-right narrative” on child sexual abuse after failing to act “for 14 long years”.
He added: “What I cannot accept is politicians jumping on the bandwagon merely for attention when they have been in government for 14 long years, tweeting, speaking, but not addressing the issue. Now, in their desperation for attention, they are amplifying what the far-right is claiming.”
Meanwhile, Professor Alexis Jay, who led the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, called for the “full implementation” of her report’s recommendations.
Distancing herself from calls for a new independent review in Westminster, she insisted that implementing the measures she proposed two years ago is “critical”.
Describing Prof. Jay’s report as “comprehensive as one could hope for”, Mr. Starmer concurred that it is “time to proceed” with its recommendations, expressing his “slight impatience” with those calling for another review “when they haven’t yet acted on the numerous reviews already conducted.”
He explicitly referenced Mrs. Badenoch’s request for another inquiry, stating: “She didn’t even implement the 20 recommendations from the Jay report… This perhaps illustrates where the desire for attention is outpacing the actual issue.”
Mr. Musk continued to criticize Mr. Starmer regarding the grooming gangs scandal, suggesting that the Prime Minister fears an additional inquiry would reveal shortcomings from his time as director of public prosecutions.
Retweeting a clip of a journalist posing the question to Mr. Starmer: “Are you afraid a national inquiry might unveil failings during your tenure as DPP?”, Mr. Musk asserted: “The real answer is yes.”
In a subsequent post on X, Mr. Musk added: “The British legal system is not serving its people.”
