UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vehemently defended his record as Britain’s top prosecutor, pushing back against criticism from Elon Musk over his handling of child sex abuse cases. Starmer, who served as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) from 2008 to 2013, faced accusations from Musk that he failed to prosecute gangs responsible for sexually exploiting young girls.
Musk, a vocal ally of former US President-elect Donald Trump, has been using his social media platform, X, to accuse Starmer of neglecting to prosecute men, mostly of South Asian descent, who sexually abused young girls during his tenure as DPP. Musk’s criticism escalated with a poll on X asking whether the US should intervene to “liberate” the UK from its “tyrannical government”.
Starmer forcefully rejected the allegations, emphasizing his efforts to tackle child sexual exploitation cases head-on during his time as DPP. “I reopened cases that had been closed and supposedly finished. I brought the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang… I changed the whole prosecution approach,” Starmer said during a press conference.
Starmer also condemned the spread of “lies and misinformation,” asserting that those behind such accusations were more interested in advancing their own agendas than supporting victims. He specifically defended his colleague, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who was targeted by Musk in a separate message.
The controversy has drawn attention to Musk’s broader political focus, including his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has been labeled as extremist by German security services. Meanwhile, Starmer’s efforts to focus on his plans for tackling NHS waiting lists and reforming Britain’s public health service have been overshadowed by Musk’s attacks and ongoing Conservative calls for an inquiry into the handling of grooming gang cases.
