British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has strongly criticized those spreading lies and misinformation about child sex abuse gangs in the UK, including comments made by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Starmer stated that individuals who spread false information are not interested in victims, but rather seek attention for themselves.
Musk had previously used his social media platform to bring up a decades-long scandal over historic child abuse in parts of England. He also called on King Charles III to dissolve parliament and order new elections, and accused Starmer’s safeguarding minister, Jess Philips, of being “pure evil” and “a wicked creature”.
Starmer countered that these tactics are intimidation attempts aimed at amplifying false claims and threatening violence against victims and others. The Prime Minister emphasized the need for facts-based discussions in politics, rather than relying on misinformation.
Conservative politicians have also faced criticism for jumping on the bandwagon of Musk’s comments. British lawmaker Ed Davey urged the UK government to summon the US ambassador over Musk’s comments, which he deemed an attempt by a foreign leader to interfere with Britain’s democracy.
In response to Starmer’s criticism, Musk has accused the Prime Minister of being “complicit in the rape of Britain”. However, Starmer defended his record as head of the director of public prosecutions, stating that he had increased the number of child abuse cases prosecuted and changed the approach that stopped victims from being heard.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/06/uk/starmer-musk-child-sex-abuse-intl-gbr/index.html