Elon Musk's Controversial Remarks Ignite Fury Over Grooming Gangs Debate

Elon Musk’s scathing remarks regarding UK safeguarding minister Jess Phillips’s handling of grooming gang issues have stirred intense backlash, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting labeling Musk’s comments a “disgraceful smear”. Musk took to social media site X (formerly Twitter) to accuse Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist” and suggested she should be jailed for her stance against initiating a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham. This criticism followed Phillips’s directive for Oldham Council to conduct a local inquiry into historical child abuse, similar to those in Rochdale and Telford, drawing condemnation from Conservative and Reform UK politicians who demanded a national inquiry.

In response to Musk, Streeting defended Phillips, highlighting her extensive efforts to combat sexual violence and support victims. He emphasized that both Phillips and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, during his tenure as director of public prosecutions, have made significant contributions to the prosecution of sexual offenders. Streeting challenged Musk to actively engage in addressing violence against women online rather than focusing on criticism from afar.

The situation escalated with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling for a national public inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal, while some Conservative members distanced themselves from Musk’s remarks, finding them inappropriate. Phillips and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper clarified their reasons for not pursuing a government-led inquiry, emphasizing the importance of local efforts that have been initiated and noting a past independent review that has yet to see its recommendations implemented. The article also references various investigations into grooming gangs across England, citing significant abuse cases and the ongoing need for effective responses to such crises.