Multibillionaire Elon Musk has snapped at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his management of a historic child abuse case by gangs of Pakistani-origin men in Oldham. Musk alleged that Starmer failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice when he was the director of public prosecutions over a decade ago.
The UK Government on Friday countered Musk, saying he was “misjudged and certainly misinformed.” Though the Starmer government was willing to work with Musk in tackling the issue.
Musk, in a post on X, stated, “Starmer was complicit in the rape of Britain when he was head of Crown Prosecution for six years. Starmer must go, and he must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain.”
He also called on King Charles to intercede over the issue and dissolve Parliament after the Labour Party denied the demand for a national inquiry into the scandal.
Countering Musk’s allegations, UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that the observations of Musk were “misjudged and certainly misinformed.”.
Streeting told reporters, on being asked about the attacks, “Some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think, are misjudged and certainly misinformed.”
He further added, “But we’re willing to work with Elon Musk. I think he’s got a big role to play with his social media platform to help us and other countries to tackle this serious issue. So, if he wants to work with us, roll his sleeves up. We’d welcome that.”
The matter came into the light when Home Office Minister Jess Phillips dismissed Oldham Council’s request for a government-led inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation and demanded the council to lead the review instead.
The Conservatives are also calling for a national inquiry into the issue. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on X wrote that “trials have taken place all over the country in recent years, but no one in authority has joined the dots.” Badenoch said, “2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice.”
The sexual abuse of young girls by grooming gangs has been a controversial matter highlighted by several campaigners over the years.
An inquiry into these grooming gangs in Rotherham found 1,400 children had been sexually abused over 16 years, mainly by British Pakistani men.
Inquiries covering other parts of northern England also pointed out similar concerns, in many cases involving men of South Asian heritage.
Shadow ministers in a letter to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to turn around her minister’s decision not to hold a national inquiry into the concerns raised in Oldham. “Only a statutory inquiry can competently encompass the national nature of these crimes and issues.”
The UK government has said it is committed to enforcing the recommendations of Professor Alexis Jay’s report from a 2022 national inquiry into child sexual abuse.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) has made 20 recommendations, and Professor Jay recently emphasized, “It doesn’t need more consultation. It does not need more research or discussion. It just needs to be done.”
