Keir Starmer torpedoes Elon Musk over ‘lies’ about grooming gangs

Prime minister claims that Musk and his supporters are spreading lies and misinformation

Sir Keir Starmer has accused tech billionaire Elon Musk and right-wing populists of spreading lies about child abuse grooming gangs and warned “they have crossed a line”.

The prime minister came out fighting after a Christmas break during which Mr Musk and others unleashed a torrent of personal abuse against him and his government, including safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.

Sir Keir made an impassioned defence of Ms Phillips, who Mr Musk had described as “a witch” and a supporter of “genocidal rape abusers” who “deserves to be in prison”.

Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a visit to Surrey (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)

It comes after figures in Donald Trump’s inner circle even pressed the president-elect to impose sanctions on Britain over the child sex grooming scandal. A source told The Independent: “The threat of tariffs is nothing compared to the threat of sanctions.”

During a speech about NHS reforms, the prime minister defended his period as director of public prosecutions in bringing a record number of cases against grooming gangs, before taking aim at social media misinformation.

“Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and wide as possible are not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves,” he said. “They are cheerleading Tommy Robinson, a man who went to prison for nearly collapsing a grooming case, a gang grooming case.

“These people are trying to get some kind of vicarious thrill from street violence, that people like Tommy Robinson promote.

“Those attacking Jess Phillips, who I’m proud to call a colleague and a friend, are not protecting victims. Jess Phillips has done a thousand times more than they’ve even dreamt about when it comes to protecting victims of sexual abuse throughout her entire career.

“When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats, to Jess Phillips and others, that in my book, means a line has been crossed. 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.”

Elon Musk has used his X platform to attack the prime minister’s record (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) (PA Wire)

Mr Starmer also criticised the Tories for appearing to support Mr Musk.

“Those who are so desperate for attention that they’re prepared to debase themselves and their country. So this government will get on with the job of protecting victims. Including, victims of sexual abuse.

“What I won’t tolerate is a debate based on lies and politicians jumping on the bandwagon simply to get attention. When those politicians were in government for 14 long years.”

But his comments provoked yet another online tirade from Mr Musk, who tweeted another baseless claim: “Starmer was deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes. That’s what the inquiry would show.” He also called the prime minister “utterly despicable”.

Musk has thrown his weight behind far-right figures including Tommy Robinson (PA)

Mr Musk then retweeted anti-Starmer posts by Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders supporting Tommy Robinson and former Labour Europe minister turned hardline Brexiteer Baroness Kate Hoey.

Baroness Hoey said: “The prime minister has really gone too far this time in his attempts to call anyone who speaks out on grooming gangs far right.”

Her words were echoed by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick who said: “Starmer’s government has launched more than 60 reviews since taking office, but won’t launch a national inquiry into rape gangs. Why? There is no acceptable excuse.

“Unlike during the last government, Oldham Council have now requested government support and say they are not best-placed to conduct a review. Previous reviews have looked at specific places and elements of the scandal, but nothing has explored it in totality.”

Sir Keir avoided saying if he would sue Mr Musk for defamation, and refused to comment on another Musk tweet suggesting his government should be deposed.

But he expressed concern at the Tories’ failure to condemn attacks on Ms Phillips.

Sir Keir said the ‘poison of the far right’ had led to threats against ministers (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)

“I’m very concerned about where the Tory party is going on this, in this country,” he said. “This isn’t about America or Musk, I’m talking about our politics. The responsibility they have for condemning it. If you’re not prepared to stand up and defend Jess Philips, you need to ask yourself why you’re in politics in the first place.”

On his own record tackling grooming gangs, he added: “Child sexual exploitation is utterly sickening and for many many years too many victims have been completely let down by perverse ideas about community relations, or by the idea that institutions must be protected above all else.

“When I was chief prosecutor for five years I tackled that head-on. And that’s why I reopened cases that had been closed, I brought the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang in Rochdale, I changed the whole prosecution approach because I wanted to challenge the myths and stereotypes that were stopping the victims from being heard.”

Starmer’s counterattack was his first time since the summer riots he had seriously addressed the social media campaign against his government being orchestrated by the tech billionaire.

The X owner has latched on to the issue of grooming gangs, even though there has already been an inquiry, in what seems to be a right-wing attempt to stir up racial division. Separately, Mr Musk has also openly backed the far-right AfD in Germany and praised Italy’s right-wing prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

He even turned his fire on former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, retweeting an allegation he had suggested the victims of grooming gangs “had made a lifestyle choice”. Mr Musk wrote: “Gordon Brown sold those little girls for votes.”

Mr Musk’s attacks began last summer when he championed those convicted of inciting violence during riots in July, claiming they were political prisoners.

The X boss was also accused of spreading misinformation about the murder of girls in Southport which triggered the wave of violence in the Merseyside town and across England, leading to an attempt to set fire to a hotel holding asylum seekers.