Britain’s government has been pushed onto the defensive by comments from Elon Musk accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of complicity in a decades-old scandal over child sexual exploitation gangs.
In a series of inflammatory tweets posted on his social media site X, the tech billionaire criticized Starmer’s handling of so-called child grooming gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions. He also called UK safeguarding minister Jess Phillips a “rape genocide apologist” and suggested that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government.”
Musk is set to hold an influential position advising US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. His repeated attacks on the UK’s Labour government are a growing problem for Starmer, who was forced to defend his record in dealing with child sexual exploitation in a press conference on Jan. 6 where he had hoped to talk about health care.
What is the grooming gangs scandal?
Musk’s claim on X that “hundreds of thousands” of “little British girls” have been raped and murdered at the hands of gangs appears to be a reference to events in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham, where men offered vulnerable girls gifts, alcohol and attention in order to manipulate them into performing sex acts.
A 2014 report led by Alexis Jay, a university professor, estimated that at least 1,400 children were targeted between 1997 and 2013 by men in the town, and identified failures by various institutions and local authorities to act on reports of the abuse. The abusers were predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and it emerged that a wariness of cultural sensitivities was one reason why authorities failed to take decisive action.
Similar instances of officials neglecting to investigate or prosecute instances of widespread child sexual exploitation also occurred in other areas of the UK, including Rochdale and Oldham, both in Greater Manchester.
What prompted Elon Musk’s latest tweets?
It’s not the first time Musk has weighed in on UK politics by promoting news articles outlining failures of the state and theories suggesting the idea of a ruling elite trampling over its citizens.
That is why the founders of America made freedom of speech and the right to bear arms the first two amendments https://t.co/yHFUZDVRuI— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
While the grooming gangs scandal ticks these boxes, his recent interest appears to have been piqued by a series of stories from populist TV channel GB News, including one report that Phillips refused a request from Oldham Council to launch a government-led inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation.
Musk’s tweets tapped into fears around high levels of immigration to the UK that were heightened by the prosecution of several British-Pakistanis in the child exploitation scandal.
The billionaire has previously given vocal support to UK right-wing, anti-immigrant party Reform UK, currently led by Trump friend Nigel Farage. But at the weekend, Musk called for Farage’s replacement, suggesting he thinks the party is not hardline enough on immigration.
The change of heart follows Farage’s refusal to back far-right anti-Islam campaigner Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, whose release from prison Musk has called for.
Who is Tommy Robinson, and why is Musk supporting him?
Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, is serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court after repeating false allegations about a Syrian refugee that prompted attacks against the boy.
Musk, whose campaign to promote “freedom of speech” led him to buy X, formerly Twitter, appears to believe Robinson’s sentence is unjust. He has repeatedly posted “Free Tommy Robinson” on X and said the campaigner was imprisoned “for telling the truth” about the ethnic background of those involved in the Rotherham and Rochdale grooming rings.
Farage has insisted Robinson won’t be joining Reform UK, saying he’s “not what we need.”
Why is Tommy Robinson in a solitary confinement prison for telling the truth?
He should be freed and those who covered up this travesty should take his place in that cell. https://t.co/Dn48JLoJgR— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
What was Keir Starmer’s role in dealing with the grooming gangs?
Before moving into politics, Starmer had a career in the legal profession which culminated in his 2008 appointment as DPP and head of the Crown Prosecution Service, the body responsible for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales.
During his five years in charge, the CPS made the decision not to prosecute individuals who were allegedly part of the Rochdale sex abuse ring. Musk said on X that Starmer “must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain,” although there is no evidence that the details of the case reached up the chain of command as far as Starmer.
After that decision was overturned in 2011, and nine men were ultimately convicted, the new chief prosecutor for north-west England, Nazir Afzal, said Starmer “was 100 percent behind the decision to publicly admit that we had got it wrong in the past.”
Starmer defended his record as chief prosecutor on Jan. 6, saying he brought the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang, changed the way such cases were investigated and prosecuted, and brought in mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.
Has there been an inquiry into UK grooming gangs?
There have been multiple independent inquiries conducted into child sexual exploitation at a local level, and the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was launched in 2015.
The IICSA’s report, led again by Jay, was published in 2022 and made 20 recommendations such as forming a dataset to understand the scale of child sexual abuse, creating a national authority to improve child protection and improving practices within children’s care homes. As of yet, none of those have been implemented.
Jay said in a statement issued on behalf of victims that “our mission is not to call for new inquiries but to advocate for the full implementation of the IICSA’s recommendations.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Jan. 5 there would be no further national inquiry “because there’s already been a national inquiry.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper later told the House of Commons that she would prioritize action on three of the recommendations by making it mandatory to report abuse, make grooming an aggravating factor when determining sentences, and changing the policing framework to include new standards on public protection and child exploitation.
Farage said that if the government doesn’t set up a national inquiry, his party will do so, appointing former judges and experts to look into the matter. “I promise you, I can raise the money today,” he told LBC radio. “Not from Elon Musk either.”