Elon Musk ‘misinformed’ on grooming gangs, says Wes Streeting

Elon Musk’s assault on the federal government’s dealing with of grooming gangs is “misjudged and definitely misinformed”, Well being Secretary Wes Streeting has mentioned.

Tech multi-billionaire Musk has posted a collection of messages on his social media web site X, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute gangs that systematically groomed and raped younger ladies, and calling for safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to be jailed.

Requested about his feedback, Streeting mentioned “this authorities takes the problem of kid sexual exploitation extremely severely”.

He invited Musk to “roll up his sleeves and work with us” in opposition to rape gangs.

The Tories have additionally criticised Musk for “sharing issues which might be factually inaccurate”.

Whereas visiting a care dwelling in Carlisle on Friday, Streeting mentioned Labour was getting “on with the job” of implementing the suggestions of the unbiased inquiry into baby sexual abuse led by Professor Alexis Jay “in full”.

He advised reporters: “Among the criticisms Elon Musk has made I believe are misjudged and definitely misinformed.

“However we’re keen to work with Elon Musk who I believe has acquired a giant function to play along with his social media platform to assist us and different international locations deal with these critical points.

“If he desires to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we would welcome that.”

Musk, a key adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, has accused Sir Keir of failing to correctly prosecute rape gangs whereas director of public prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly retweeted Reform UK and Conservative MPs calling for a nationwide inquiry.

He additionally instructed safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in jail” after she rejected a request for the Residence Workplace to order a public inquiry into baby sexual exploitation in Oldham. She mentioned the council ought to fee a neighborhood inquiry as a substitute, as occurred in Rotherham and Telford.

The choice was criticised by a number of senior Tories, regardless of the earlier Conservative authorities turning down an identical request in 2022.

Tory chief Kemi Badenoch has known as for a full nationwide public inquiry into what she known as the UK’s “rape gangs scandal”.

However the social gathering has additionally criticised Musk for “sharing issues which might be factually inaccurate” and distanced itself from his name for Phillips to be jailed.

Alicia Kearns – who shadows Phillips because the Conservative spokesperson on safeguarding – advised BBC Radio 5 Reside Musk had “fallen inclined” to sharing issues on his X platform “with out critically assessing them”.

She accused Musk of “drawing away consideration from the survivors and from the victims” of rape gangs, and “lionising folks like [far-right activist] Tommy Robinson – which is frankly harmful”.

Reform UK chief Nigel Farage has advised the BBC that Musk, the world’s richest man, is in talks about making a donation to the social gathering. The 2 males met at Trump’s Florida retreat final month.

There have been quite a few investigations into the systematic rape of ladies and younger girls by organised gangs, together with in Rotherham, Cornwall, Derbyshire and Bristol.

Inquiries into Higher Manchester Police’s dealing with of historic baby intercourse abuse circumstances in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale have additionally been carried out.

Earlier on Friday, well being minister Andrew Gwynne instructed Musk “must focus” on US politics, the place he’s set to behave as an unelected adviser to the Trump administration on chopping federal spending.

Talking to LBC Radio, Gwynne added that baby grooming was a “very critical subject”, pointing to earlier investigations which had taken place into sexual abuse scandals.

“There comes some extent the place we do not want extra inquiries, and had Elon Musk actually paid consideration to what’s been happening on this nation, he might need recognised that there have already been inquiries,” he mentioned.

The Unbiased Inquiry into Baby Intercourse Abuse (IICSA), which printed its remaining report in 2022, described the sexual abuse of youngsters as an “epidemic that leaves tens of 1000’s of victims in its toxic wake”.

It knitted a number of earlier inquiries collectively alongside its personal investigations.

Professor Jay mentioned in November she felt “annoyed” that none of her report’s 20 suggestions to deal with abuse had been carried out greater than two years later.

She mentioned: “It is a tough material, however it’s important that there is some public understanding of it.

“However we will solely do what we will to press the federal government to have a look at the supply of all of this.

“It would not want extra session, it doesn’t want extra analysis or dialogue, it simply must be finished.”