Elon Musk’s assault on Jess Phillips’ dealing with of grooming gangs is a “disgraceful smear,” Well being Secretary Wes Streeting has mentioned.
Tech multi-billionaire Musk posted messages on his social media web site X saying the safeguarding minister ought to be jailed and calling her a “rape genocide apologist” in addition to criticising Sir Keir Starmer for failing to prosecute gangs.
It got here after Phillips rejected a request for the federal government to steer a public inquiry into little one sexual exploitation in Oldham – which sparked calls from the Conservatives and Reform UK for a nationwide inquiry into grooming gangs.
Streeting instructed the PJDM Musk’s feedback had been “ill-judged” as Phillips had “carried out greater than most individuals ever do” to struggle sexual abuse.
On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Streeting mentioned: “It’s a disgraceful smear of an awesome lady who has spent her life supporting victims of the form of violence that Elon Musk and others say that they are towards.
“It is all very simple to sit down there and hearth off one thing in haste and click on ship when folks like Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips have carried out the onerous yards of really locking up spouse beaters, rapists and paedophiles.”
Musk’s newest intervention got here after Phillips instructed Oldham Council in October to launch its own local inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in the town, just like inquiries arrange in Rochdale and Telford.
Musk mentioned that she “deserves to be in jail” for her response.
The choice was additionally criticised by a number of senior Tories, regardless of the earlier Conservative authorities turning down the same request in 2022.
Musk, a key adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, additionally urged Sir Keir had did not correctly prosecute rape gangs whereas director of public prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly retweeted Reform UK and Conservative MPs calling for a nationwide inquiry.
Streeting’s feedback got here after Reform UK chief Nigel Farage defended Musk after the billionaire attacked the UK authorities’s response to grooming gangs.
Talking on the identical programme, Farage mentioned Musk had used “very tough terms” but that “free speech was back” on X beneath his possession.
He mentioned the general public is “completely proper to be” indignant about grooming gangs and to ask why there had not been a full public inquiry.
Streeting challenged Musk to “roll up his sleeves” and assist deal with violence towards ladies on on-line platforms.
“On-line platforms have gotten a job to play in holding folks protected on-line, serving to legislation enforcement on perpetrators of violence towards ladies and individuals who wish to groom youngsters on-line.”
The well being secretary mentioned Sir Keir and Phillips each had “data that their critics cannot even start to the touch”.
Whereas director of public prosecutions, Sir Keir launched a particular prosecutor for little one abuse and sexual exploitation to supervise convictions towards grooming gangs.
Starmer additionally modified the Crown Prosecution Service steering to encourage police to analyze suspects in complicated sexual abuse circumstances and court docket reforms aimed toward making the method much less traumatic for victims.
“As director of prosecutions, Keir Starmer opened up historic circumstances, going after individuals who thought they’d acquired away with it,” Streeting mentioned.
“As for Jess Phillips, the work that she has carried out in her skilled life exterior politics, supporting victims of violence towards ladies and ladies, she has helped assist them to get their day in in court docket and lock up their abusers” he added.
Tory chief Kemi Badenoch has referred to as for a full nationwide public inquiry into what she referred to as the UK’s “rape gangs scandal”.
However the get together has additionally criticised Musk for “sharing issues which are factually inaccurate” and distanced itself from his name for Phillips to be jailed.
Conservative shadow house secretary Chris Philp criticised Musk’s feedback on Phillips as “not acceptable” however argued he was “proper to be elevating the final difficulty”.
Talking on the identical programme, Philp mentioned politicians have an “obligation” to discuss troublesome points in a relaxed method “however additionally they have an obligation to inform the reality” on these issues.
In a letter seen by the PJDM, Phillips and Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper wrote to the Conservatives setting out why they’d requested Oldham Council to arrange its personal inquiry, fairly than grant its request for a government-led one.
The letter identified the native authority had already began organising its personal inquiry, and added victims have mentioned “loud and clear” they need motion.
They mentioned they supported an unbiased overview commissioned by Mayor Andy Burnham, which lined historic abuse in Oldham and led to a brand new police investigation, in addition to different little one safety work throughout Better Manchester.
The letter highlighted the work of the Little one Sexual Abuse Inquiry which revealed its last findings in 2022. It made clear “abuse have to be pursued and challenged in all places with no worry or favour” – whether or not in care houses, church buildings, houses or by grooming gangs.
Professor Alexis Jay, who led that inquiry, mentioned in November she felt “annoyed” that none of its 20 suggestions to deal with abuse had been carried out greater than two years later.
There have been a number of investigations into grooming gangs in numerous elements of England, together with Rotherham, Bristol, Cornwall and Derbyshire.
An inquiry into abuse in Rotherham discovered 1,400 kids had been sexually abused over a 16-year interval, predominantly by British Pakistani males.
An investigation in Telford discovered that as much as 1,000 ladies had been abused over 40 years – and that some circumstances had not been investigated due to “nervousness about race”.
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, 2025-01-05 12:52:00
