UK politics – live: Jess Phillips says her ‘world turned upside down’ by Elon Musk social media attacks
The Tesla boss has launched a series of baseless attacks on the Labour government over grooming gangs
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Your support makes all the difference.Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has spoken about her fears for her safety after Elon Musk unleashed a torrent of abuse against her over the child grooming scandal.
Ms Phillips found herself at the centre of an international storm when she decided not to agree to a national inquiry into child grooming and rape across towns in the north of England because one had already been conducted.
The attacks were led by the X social media platform boss who described her as “a witch” and a “rape genocide apologist”.
Speaking to ITV News, she said: “Of course I worry about my safety. Of course, and you have to, you know, anyone who has worked in the fields of violence against women and girls. Risk is dynamic and I have to take account of the risks in my life and this is one of them currently.”
The Tesla boss has launched a series of baseless attacks on the Labour government over grooming gangs, while also calling for the release of jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson – a development which also saw him turn on Reform leader Nigel Farage on Sunday, claiming he “does not have what it takes” to lead the party.
Victims minister will not back calls for another national inquiry
Alex Davies-Jones has said she will not support a move to set up a new national inquiry into child grooming gangs.
The victims minister said the government will instead focus on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which was set up in 2015 led by Prof Alexis Jay.
When asked if the inquiry was satisfactory, Davies-Jones told BBC Breakfast: “I think that inquiry was very broad and wide ranging. We owe it to those victims to get on with the job - more actions less words - and deliver on those recommendations.”
No new Cabinet minister role to be created for children, victim minister says
The victims minister said the Government would not create a specific Cabinet minister responsible for children, as recommended by Professor Alexis Jay, saying one already existed.
Alex Davies-Jones told Times Radio: “We already have a Cabinet member responsible for children, Bridget Phillipson.”
She added that preventing child sexual exploitation was also the responsibility of a wider group of ministers, including herself and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.
Ms Davies-Jones said: “This is something that is all of our responsibility across Government to deliver.”
Victims minister says government working on inquiry recommendations
The victims minister was unable to provide a timeline for implementing the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, saying the Government was working “quickly”.
Alex Davies-Jones told Times Radio: “I can’t give you a timeline but what I can tell you is we are working very, very quickly.
“A lot of these recommendations can be implemented quickly. As you heard from the Home Secretary yesterday, we’ve already begun that work and some of those new offences that have been announced will be in our Crime and Policing Bill brought in later this year.”
Adding that the Government would provide “more information soon”, she said: “I want to do this as quickly as possible. It’s very complicated, this is not a quick fix overnight.”
Musk continues X attack on Starmer
Elon Musk has continued his attack on Sir Keir Starmer as he calls the UK prime minister “evil” on his social media platform, X.
In a series of posts overnight, the Tesla boss said UK politicians were “in for a rude awakening” as he replied to a user saying it was a “big mistake” for them to “run their mouths about our country and Elon”.
Reacting to the resignation of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, Mr Musk wrote: “Trudeau is gone, Starmer will be soon.”
He also dubbed Starmer as “evil”.
Robert Jenrick calls for ‘more to be done’ to tackle child grooming
Child sexual exploitation is “one of the most appalling racially aggravated crimes in our country’s history”, Robert Jenrick has said.
Asked whether the Conservatives had done enough to tackle the issue in government, the shadow justice secretary repeatedly told BBC Breakfast “more needs to be done”.
He said: “Clearly more needed to be done, that’s why I think we have to take this forward, that’s why we do need to have a fully national inquiry.”
Arguing that “a number of significant steps were taken” by Conservative home secretaries, Mr Jenrick also called for perpetrators to receive whole-life sentences.
He said: “I have long advocated going further than that and saying you should have a full-life sentence if you are a grooming gang perpetrator, so you never see the light of day, so you go to jail, you don’t step foot out on the streets of our country in 10 years or so, as is happening at the moment.
“This is one of the most appalling racially aggravated crimes in our country’s history. It must be taken more seriously by everyone.”
Starmer should summon US ambassador over Musk remarks, Lib Dems say
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said that the US ambassador should be summoned over Elon Musk’s online attacks, after the billionaire suggested that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”.
Sir Ed said: “People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country’s democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain.
“It’s time to summon the US ambassador to ask why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK Government should be overthrown.”
Tory MP James Cleverly criticises Starmer’s condemnation of ‘far-right bandwagon'
Tory MP James Cleverly has criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s criticism of politicians “calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far-right” in relation to Elon Musk’s grooming gangs claims.
The former Tory leadership hopeful said: “When will Starmer and Labour learn? Accusing those who disagrees with him, or who seeks legitimate answers about repeated failures of child protection, as ‘far right’ is deeply insulting and counterproductive.
“He is the best recruiting sergeant for extremism.”
Starmer pledges to fight for NHS ‘day and night’
Starmer pledges to fight for NHS ‘day and night’
Rebuilding the NHS is the cornerstone of rebuilding Britain, the prime minister said, as he pledged to fight for the health service “day and night”.
Giving a speech at a hospital in Surrey on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer unveiled more detail about his plans for slashing NHS waiting lists, with the aim of slashing the number of people waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment in England by nearly half a million over the next year.
Speaking with rolled up sleeves in front of a raft of frontline NHS workers and health secretary Wes Streeting, the prime minister promised to reform the health service from “top to bottom”.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports from Surrey:
Starmer pledges to fight for NHS ‘day and night’ as PM unveils new reforms
Speaking with rolled up sleeves in front of a raft of NHS workers, the PM unveiled more detail about his plans for slashing waiting lists plaguing the health service
Editorial | Wes Streeting is right – if Labour delivers on NHS reform, that’ll be its legacy
Challenged by Laura Kuenssberg on breakfast television about why the government had failed to explain itself very well, health secretary Wes Streeting gave the only response a politician of his stature could: he dodged the question.
He was, in fact, right to do so. The government’s “presentational” shortcomings have been so crashingly obvious it wasn’t worth Mr Streeting trying to prove the opposite. Choices have been made but not justified; and the broad narrative about why the sacrifices now being asked of the public will yield better outcomes has scarcely been developed.
Mr Streeting wasn’t going to try and remedy six months of failing communications in one 20-minute segment on TV. He’s far too clever for that.
Instead, at least so far as his brief, the NHS and social care, is concerned, Mr Streeting offered a more candid and useful message: “The only thing that really matters in the end is delivery.”
If Labour can cure this sick patient, it’ll be its biggest feat
Editorial: There’s no denying that the past six months have been rocky for the new government – but if it pulls off NHS reform, the pain will be worth it
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