Lisa Nandy denies Musk prompted grooming gangs inquiry

Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy has “completely rejected” the concept a brand new sequence of grooming gangs inquiries have been arrange due to stress from Elon Musk.

In current weeks, multi-billionaire Musk has repeatedly used his social media platform X to assault the federal government and name for a contemporary nationwide statutory inquiry into baby sexual exploitation.

The federal government resisted the calls, however on Thursday introduced a nationwide overview of grooming gang proof and 5 government-backed native inquiries.

Knowledge safety minister Sir Chris Bryant informed the BBC it was “actually true” that Musk had sparked extra debate.

However Nandy informed BBC Breakfast the federal government had not been pushed into it by social media.

Requested on the BBC’s Query Time programme whether or not Musk’s interventions had sped up ministers’ response, Bryant stated: “Undoubtedly all of this has been expedited due to the talk that we have had over the past fortnight, I am fairly glad to say that”.

However Nandy insisted: “We’re not a authorities that governs by social media, we govern for the actual world,” she stated.

She pointed to measures within the Kids’s Wellbeing and Faculties Invoice as actions the federal government had already dedicated to earlier than this 12 months.

“These measures take time to work up and to implement,” Nandy stated.

“They had been issues that we introduced effectively earlier than there was all this noise on social media. There’s far an excessive amount of warmth on social media, not sufficient gentle.

“The place the sunshine has been solid in that is by these courageous younger girls talking up by successive inquiries over many, a few years.”

Later, on BBC Radio 4’s At present programme, Nandy stated Labour had “made tackling violence in opposition to girls and ladies a high precedence for this authorities”.

“We dedicated to that in opposition, it was in our manifesto and the house secretary is making good on that promise.”

Talking throughout a go to to Poland, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer denied he had been pushed right into a change in coverage, saying he had been personally concerned in working with victims for “effectively over a decade”.

“Absolutely the crucial is motion, motion on behalf of victims, and that is at all times been the strategy that has pushed the choices that I take,” he added.

Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper has introduced a brand new £10m fund, cut up into two components, to sort out grooming gangs and baby sexual abuse

First, a “speedy” three-month nationwide audit led by veteran troubleshooter Baroness Louise Casey will study gang demographics, their victims, and the “cultural drivers” of the crimes.

Secondly, Tom Crowther, recognized for main an inquiry into Telford grooming gangs, will assist Oldham and 4 different pilot areas but to be named develop their very own opinions.

Cooper stopped in need of launching a statutory nationwide inquiry, as known as for by the Conservatives, Reform UK and a few Labour MPs, however the announcement marked a transparent shift within the authorities’s place.

Responding to the announcement, Conservative shadow house secretary Chris Philp stated the plan was “wholly insufficient” and repeated his name for a full nationwide inquiry.

He expressed concern that the native inquiries wouldn’t have powers to compel witnesses to attend and provides proof beneath oath.

Musk’s feedback had created a political headache for Labour.

In addition to being one of many richest males on the earth, Musk can also be a key adviser for US President-elect Donald Trump.

For weeks, Musk has promoted the campaigns of MPs opposing Labour within the Conservative Occasion and Reform UK.

Musk responded to Cooper’s announcement by saying on his X platform: “I hope this can be a correct investigation.”

“This can be a step in the precise path, however the outcomes will communicate for themselves,” he later added.

Musk has beforehand clashed with the Labour authorities, insulting safeguarding minister Jess Phillips on social media, after she declined a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into baby sexual abuse within the city.

He stated Phillips “deserves to be in jail” and known as her a “rape genocide apologist”.

Philips informed the BBC “disinformation” unfold by Musk was “endangering” her life.

Musk has additionally accused Sir Keir of failing to correctly prosecute “rape gangs” whereas he was director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, earlier than he entered Parliament.