British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday hit back at attacks over his handling of the child grooming gang scandal that has repeatedly rocked the country, following last week’s instigation by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. is under even more scrutiny.
Starmer did not mention Musk directly, but in response to a reporter’s question about Musk’s comments, he said: “Those who spread lies and misinformation as widely as possible have no interest in victims. They are interested in themselves.” .
Britain’s grooming scandal, which revealed gangs of mainly South Asian and British-Pakistani men had been exploiting and abusing children in towns in northern England for decades, has sparked a national investigation. It resurfaced last week amid new demands.
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Previous reports in towns such as Rotherham and Telford found evidence of horrific crimes against children spanning decades and suggested authorities were hiding information or were concerned about stirring up racism. was. It is often cited as an effect of the failure of multiculturalism and mass immigration.
President-elect Trump and Elon Musk arrive in Brownsville, Texas, for the SpaceX Starship rocket launch on November 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Mr Musk had accused the government of rejecting calls for a new national inquiry into the handling of the authorities’ actions in Oldham. Home Secretary Jess Phillips responded to the request in October, saying such an inquiry should be organized locally.
A 2022 report into Oldham’s conduct between 2011 and 2014 found that local agencies had failed to look after children, but the far-right had been accused of It also became clear that there was no cover-up, despite “legitimate concerns that someone might take advantage of it.” These are mainly Pakistani criminals from all over the country. ”
Musk, along with senior Conservative leaders including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, called for a full investigation. Musk went even further, asking King Charles III to intervene.
“They oppose the investigation because it would show that those in power were complicit in the cover-up,” he said of the government regarding X.
Mr. Musk had called for the prosecution of Mr. Starmer, who was director of public prosecutions at the time the scandal broke, and Mr. Phillips (whom Mr. Musk described as an “apologist for the rape massacre”).
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks in Surrey, England, Monday, January 6, 2025 (Leon Neil/Pool photo via AP)
Mr Starmer referred to those comments in his defense, defending his career as a prosecutor and saying he had reopened closed cases and “changed the whole prosecutorial approach” to abuse.
“When far-right venom leads to serious threats against the likes of Jess Phillips, a red line is crossed in my book,” Starmer said. “I enjoy the heated debates in politics and the heated debates that we have to have, but it has to be based on facts and truth, not lies.”
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He also accused politicians of being “indifferent to honesty, decency, truth and the rule of law, and calling for an investigation because they want to jump on a far-right bandwagon.”
Mask shot back.
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“What an outrageous statement. The real reason is that it shows how Starmer has repeatedly ignored the pleas of vast numbers of girls and their parents in order to gain political support. Starmer is absolutely despicable,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
