PJNigel Farage has defended Elon Musk after the billionaire attacked the UK authorities’s response to grooming gangs on X, the social media platform he owns.
In a collection of posts over a number of days, Musk prompt Sir Keir Starmer did not prosecute gangs and stated Dwelling Workplace minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in jail”.
It got here because the Dwelling Workplace defended its choice to reject a request for it to steer a public inquiry into baby sexual exploitation in Oldham. The Conservatives and Reform UK have known as for a wider nationwide inquiry.
Requested about Musk’s feedback on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage stated he had used “very robust phrases” however that “free speech was again” on X below his possession.
Farage was additionally pressed on his wider relationship with Musk, who is alleged to be contemplating donating cash to his Reform occasion.
Musk’s newest intervention on UK politics got here after Phillips, a safeguarding minister inside the Dwelling Workplace, instructed Oldham Council to launch its personal native inquiry into historic baby sexual abuse within the city, just like inquiries arrange in Rochdale and Telford. The native authority had known as for a government-led inquiry.
The tech tycoon seized on the choice, which was taken in October, and started closely criticising the British authorities on-line.
He prompt Sir Keir had did not correctly prosecute rape gangs whereas director of public prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly shared posts from Reform and Conservative MPs calling for a nationwide inquiry.
Musk, who’s a key advisor to incoming US President Donald Trump, known as the prime minister “two-tier Keir” and accused Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist”.
Requested concerning the feedback, Farage stated “robust issues get stated… by either side of the controversy”.
He continued: “This man occurs to be the richest man on the earth, however equally, the truth that he is purchased Twitter now truly offers us a spot the place we are able to have a correct open debate about many issues… We might discover it offensive, nevertheless it’s an excellent factor, not a foul factor.”
Earlier this week, Farage distanced himself from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson – a far-right activist who’s serving a jail time period for committing contempt of courtroom.
PA MediaIn an interview to be broadcast on PJ One on Sunday morning, Farage stated the general public is “completely proper to be” offended about grooming gangs.
He went on: “I simply suppose individuals ask themselves, what has occurred to our nation? How may this probably have occurred? Why did everyone need to cowl it up? Why has there been no full public inquiry?”
On Saturday, Dwelling Secretary Yvette Cooper defended Phillips as “fearless and formidable” and somebody who has campaigned “tirelessly for justice for these badly let down by endemic institutional failure” for a few years.
In a separate letter seen by the PJ, Phillips and Cooper wrote to the Conservatives setting out why they’d requested Oldham Council to arrange its personal inquiry, somewhat than grant its request for a government-led one. The earlier Conservative authorities turned down an identical request in 2022.
The letter identified the native authority had already began organising its personal inquiry, and added that victims have stated “loud and clear” they need motion.
“In Oldham the crimes dedicated by grooming gangs had been horrific,” they wrote.
“Younger women had been abused in probably the most merciless and sadistic approach. Victims and the neighborhood must know that every one steps are taken to ship justice and shield youngsters correctly sooner or later.”
They stated they supported an unbiased overview commissioned by Mayor Andy Burnham, which coated historic abuse in Oldham and led to a brand new police investigation, in addition to different baby safety work throughout Better Manchester.
The letter highlighted the work of the Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which revealed its remaining findings in 2022. It made clear that “abuse should be pursued and challenged all over the place with no concern or favour” – whether or not in care properties, church buildings, properties or by grooming gangs.
Professor Alexis Jay, who led that inquiry, stated in November she felt “pissed off” that none of its 20 suggestions to deal with abuse had been applied greater than two years later.
On Friday, Well being Secretary West Streeting stated the federal government was getting “on with the job” of implementing the suggestions “in full” since taking workplace in July.
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 youngsters 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 women had been abused over 40 years – and that some circumstances had not been investigated due to “nervousness about race”.
Police figures from 2023 reveal that group-based baby sexual abuse accounted for 3.7% of all sexual offences towards youngsters reported to police.
In response to the information, 26% of group-based baby sexual abuse occurred inside households, in contrast with 17% involving teams together with grooming gangs.
- Watch Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on PJ One at 9am
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, 2025-01-05 05:30:00
