Sir Keir Starmer comments on Elon Musk grooming gang accusations for first time

Sir Keir Starmer has accused people of “spreading lies” about grooming gangs and said they are not interested in victims after Elon Musk accused him of being “complicit” in the scandal.

“Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims. They’re interested in themselves,” Sir Keir said.

“I enjoy the thrust of politics, the robust debate that we must have. But that’s got to be based on facts and truth, not on lies. Not on those who are so desperate for attention that they’re prepared to debase themselves and their country.”

He said he would not comment on specific people’s accusations but was answering a question about Elon Musk claiming safeguarding minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in jail” and calling her a “rape genocide apologist” for rejecting a call for a national inquiry into historical child grooming in Oldham.

He accused the Tories of “amplifying what the far-right is saying” on child sexual abuse after failing to act “for 14 long years”.

Sir Keir said his record as director of public prosecutions (DPP) shows how he changed “the entire approach” to child sexual abuse victims that was stopping them from being heard, and had the highest number of cases prosecuted on record.

He said he reopened cases he felt were not properly investigated and oversaw the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang in Rochdale.

Sir Keir also said he called for mandatory reporting but the Conservatives failed to do that.

The PM said Ms Jess Phillips has done “a thousand times more” to protect sexual abuse victims than those criticising her have “even dreamt about”.

This is the first time Sir Keir has responded directly to a flurry of accusations from Mr Musk over the past week.

Mr Musk has been using X, the social media platform he owns, to attack Sir Keir and Ms Phillips after it emerged last week she said Oldham Council should carry out its own inquiry.

The billionaire has accused the prime minister of being “complicit” as he was DPP at the time gangs of men, mainly of Pakistani descent, were exploiting mainly white girls, as young as 11, in several towns across the UK.

The richest man in the world has said Sir Keir should be in prison and on Monday morning posted a poll asking if “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”.

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Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he was “not interested” in what Mr Musk had to say about the grooming scandal.

He said Mr Musk’s comments were “a ridiculous thing to say”, were “ill-informed” and “not fair” on Sir Keir and Ms Phillips’ records.

Other political parties have also commented, with Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice telling Trevor Phillips Mr Musk is “one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history” and said there was a “deliberate cover-up” of the grooming gangs scandal over fears of appearing racist.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for a full national inquiry into the “rape gangs scandal” as she said “no one in authority has joined the dots” between the systematic rape of young women by organised gangs across the UK.

Sir Keir added: “What I won’t tolerate is politicians jumping on the bandwagon simply to get attention.

“When those politicians sat in government for 14 long years tweeting, talking, but not doing anything about it, now, so desperate for attention. But they’re amplifying what the far right is saying.”