U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded critically to accusations regarding his management of the child grooming gang scandal that has plagued the nation. Recently, scrutiny intensified following comments from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Starmer stated, “Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves,” addressing inquiries from reporters about Musk’s remarks, though he refrained from naming Musk directly.
The U.K. grooming scandal involves gangs, primarily composed of South Asian or British Pakistani men, who exploited and abused children for decades in various northern English towns. This issue resurfaced last week amid renewed demands for a national inquiry.
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Earlier investigations in towns like Rotherham and Telford uncovered evidence of horrific crimes against children spanning several decades, indicating that authorities either suppressed information or hesitated to act due to concerns about exacerbating racism. The situation is often cited as a failure of multiculturalism and the effects of mass immigration.
Musk criticized the government for dismissing calls for a national inquiry into the actions of local authorities in Oldham. Home Office Minister Jess Phillips remarked in October that any inquiry should be conducted at the local level.
A 2022 report examining Oldham’s actions from 2011 to 2014 revealed that local agencies failed the children involved; however, it concluded that there was no cover-up despite “legitimate concerns” that the far-right could exploit “the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders across the country.”
Musk, alongside prominent conservative figures such as Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch, has insisted on a thorough investigation. Musk even suggested that King Charles III should intervene.
He asserted, “They oppose an inquiry, because it will show that those in power were complicit in the cover-up,” referring to the government in his comments on X.
Musk had called for the prosecution of Starmer, who was the director of public prosecutions when the scandal emerged, as well as Phillips – whom he labeled a “rape genocide apologist.”
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In his defense, Starmer referred to Musk’s statements, asserting his commitment to justice as a prosecutor, claiming he had reopened previously closed cases and “changed the whole prosecution approach” regarding these abuses.
Starmer stated, “When the poison of the far-right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book, a line has been crossed. I enjoy the cut and thrust of politics, the robust debate that we must have, but that’s got to be based on facts and truth, not on lies.”
Starmer also criticized politicians he claimed were “casual about honesty, decency, truth and the rule of law,” accusing them of pursuing inquiries primarily to align with the far-right agenda.
Musk replied, “What an insane thing to say! The real reason is that it would show how Starmer repeatedly ignored the pleas of vast numbers of little girls and their parents, in order to secure political support. Starmer is utterly despicable.”
