Tech billionaire Elon Musk has launched a fresh attack on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his handling of the grooming scandal, accusing him of covering up the abuse.
The scandal involves allegations of mass child exploitation in several towns across northern England, with thousands of victims identified. The Rotherham inquiry, led by Professor Alexis Jay, concluded that 1,400 children were exploited between 1997 and 2013, predominantly by men of Pakistani heritage.
Musk has made unsubstantiated claims on social media platform X, claiming Starmer is “complicit” in the scandal and should face prosecution. He also accused former prime minister Gordon Brown of suppressing an investigation into alleged abuse.
However, experts say there is no evidence of a cover-up. The 2022 national inquiry warned that child sexual abuse was “endemic” across England and Wales, but successive inquiries have concluded that police officers, social services, and councils failed victims.
Starmer, who previously ran the Crown Prosecution Service, had revised procedures to deal with grooming cases in an effort to protect victims. Musk’s claims have been met with criticism from Afzal, the former chief prosecutor for north-west England, who said there was no circular or guidance specifically on “child rape gangs” or “grooming gangs”.
The controversy has sparked calls for a fresh national inquiry, but experts say ministers should implement the recommendations of the 2022 inquiry instead.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jan/06/why-is-elon-musk-attacking-keir-starmer-over-grooming-scandal