Starmer launched a full-throated defence of his time more than a decade ago as the UK’s top prosecutor, after the US tech billionaire launched a tirade of critical posts on his X platform.

Focusing on historical scandals involving paedophile grooming gangs that first emerged during Starmer’s tenure as director of public prosecutions, Musk has in recent days assailed him and other Labour figures over the issue.

Musk’s tirade, which included demands for a new public inquiry into the scandal, has prompted some UK opposition politicians to join in the criticism and calls for a fresh national probe.

The issue has long been seized upon by far-right figures, in particular the imprisoned Tommy Robinson, one of Britain’s best known far-right agitators, whom Musk has praised.

Responding to numerous media questions on the topic, Starmer insisted he was “not going to individualise this to Elon Musk” but said “a line has been crossed” with some of the criticism.

“Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves,” Starmer told reporters, without naming Musk.

“I’m prepared to call out this for what it is. We’ve seen this playbook many times: the whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it.

He also hit out at the “poison of the far-right”.

“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 said.

The decades-spanning grooming gangs scandal involved the widespread abuse of girls in northern English towns, including Rochdale, Rotherham and Oldham.

A series of court cases eventually led to the conviction of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian Muslim origin. The victims were vulnerable, mostly white, girls.

Subsequent official reports into how police and social workers failed to halt the abuse in some cases found that officials turned a blind eye to avoid appearing racist.