Sir Keir Starmer sparks backlash after blaming 'far-Right' for outrage over lack of grooming gang inquiry
7 January 2025, 08:44
The Prime Minister has triggered a furious backlash after saying calls for an inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal are from people jumping on a ‘far-right bandwagon’.
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It comes after Elon Musk suggested Sir Keir Starmer was ‘complicit’ in the failure to tackle abuse.
Sir Keir triggered an angry response after saying demands for an inquiry into the rape of white girls by gangs of predominantly Pakistani-origin men were “amplifying what the far-Right are saying”.
He defended his record of prosecuting child grooming gangs and said those "spreading misinformation are not interested in the victims", in a row with billionaire Musk.
The Tesla and X owner has launched a slew of social media posts attacking the Prime Minister in recent days, accusing him of being "complicit in the crimes" of child sex offenders as he called for a national investigation into child sexual abuse.
Read more: Reform UK set to gain the most from Labour voter remorse, poll for LBC shows
The PM has fought back, accusing Mr Musk and others of "spreading lies and misinformation", and also saying "a line has been crossed" by the businessman when he described Home Office minister Jess Phillips as a "rape genocide apologist".
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
In a speech yesterday Sir Keir said that those calling for a national inquiry on grooming gangs were seeking to “jump on a bandwagon of the far-Right”.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said that “smearing people who raise those issues is exactly how this ended up getting covered up in the first place”
He told the Commons: “It is not far-Right to stand up for victims of mass rape”.
A Downing Street spokesman insisted the Prime Minister did not believe that all those calling for an inquiry were far-Right.
Asked if Sir Keir thought that those supporting a fresh inquiry were far-Right, the spokesman replied: “No, and like everyone the PM wants action and justice for victims of child sexual abuse.”
Sir Keir said in a speech on Monday morning: “When politicians, and I mean politicians, who sat in government for many years are casual about honesty, decency, truth and the rule of law, calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far-Right, then that affects politics because a robust debate can only be based on the true facts and that is why this is actually an important point about our politics, not about what anybody may or may not say on Twitter.”
The dispute follows weeks of hostile tweeting by Mr Musk, one of US President-elect Donald Trump's top aides, in which he has criticised Sir Keir's handling of the summer riots and expressed support for jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Writing for the Sun newspaper, Sir Keir defended his time working as England and Wales' chief prosecutor between 2008 and 2013, the period when he lead the justice system as it began to prosecute child grooming gangs, and which has been a subject of Mr Musk's attacks.
"My fight to change the way that the prosecution service operated is a matter of public record. Making sure the men responsible for these despicable acts were brought to justice. Put in the dock. Then behind bars," the Prime Minister wrote.
"That is why I brought the first prosecution for a grooming gang. Far-right voices have tried to rewrite history," he added.
He added: "Those spreading lies and misinformation are not interested in the victims. Those cheerleading for Tommy Robinson - a thug who was jailed for almost collapsing a grooming case - are not interested in justice. They are only interested in themselves."
The PM agreed a national investigation into child grooming gangs was necessary, and said "that is why one was held" by Professor Alexis Jay, and it was now for the Government to follow up on this.
He also doubled down on earlier criticism of the Conservatives, writing they were "jumping on that bandwagon" and "putting political posturing before child protection".
The Tories had accused the Prime Minister of "smearing people who are concerned about rape gangs", though Sir Keir's spokesman acknowledged not all those calling for a new inquiry were aligned with the far-right.
In the Commons, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "It is not far-right to stand up for victims of mass rape."
"Smearing people who raised those issues is exactly how this ended up getting covered up in the first place," he added.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch plans to raise the matter in Parliament again on Wednesday, by putting forward an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing Bill calling for a full national inquiry into the scandal.
Mr Musk hailed the development in a post on X early on Tuesday morning, while in a separate post he called the Prime Minister "evil".
Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, distanced herself from calls for a new national inquiry, saying it was "critical" that her own recommendations were fully implemented.
The Prime Minister has insisted he wants to see them implemented, but his spokesman would not place a deadline on when this could happen.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Commons the Government would begin implementing Prof Jay's call for mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.
"The protection of institutions must never be put before the protection of children," she added, as she suggested professionals who did not obey the duty could face criminal sanctions.
A "significant package of measures" will also be revealed in the next few weeks aimed at tackling online child sexual exploitation and abuse, the Home Secretary said.
