'For all those poor little girls...': Elon Musk backs national inquiry into UK child sexual abuse scandal

Musk, an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, has spent days posting messages on his social media site X accusing Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute gangs of men who raped young girls when Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013.

Also Read: What are 'Pakistani grooming gangs' and why Elon Musk is bashing UK PM Keir Starmer over them

Musk also attacked Starmer's safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, describing her as a "rape genocide apologist" who should be in jail. Phillips has spent much of her career working with victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking.

Responding to Musk's attacks, Phillips said the US billionaire knew "absolutely nothing" about the child sexual abuse scandals he has recently been commenting on, Reuters reported.

Starmer also defended his work as Britain's top prosecutor on Monday, addressing Musk's criticism and saying that "those spreading lies and misinformation...are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves".

This comes after Elon Musk recently accused Keir Starmer of inaction during his time as DPP, suggesting that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed to adequately prosecute members of Pakistani grooming gangs. Musk’s comments followed a post on X that linked Starmer’s tenure to alleged institutional neglect of the victims.

Also Read: Explainer-The child rape scandal dominating UK politics after Musk criticism

Musk has backed several opposition politicians who have called for a new national inquiry into the scandals after Phillips told the council of a town where sex abuse cases were reported that it should hold its own investigation.

What are Pakistani grooming gangs?

Elon Musk's scathing criticism of UK Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has brought the term "Pakistani grooming gangs" back into the public eye. Musk's allegations have rekindled discussions about the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and other institutions' roles in resolving the UK's previous child sexual exploitation cases.

'Pakistani grooming gangs’ term refers to a series of child sexual exploitation scandals in the United Kingdom, where groups of predominantly Pakistani-heritage men targeted and abused young girls.

Also Read: Why cases of child abuse by 'Pakistani rape gangs' not a bigger issue for UK media, asks Elon Musk

Notable cases emerged from towns such as Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford, and Oxford, where investigations uncovered years of abuse involving hundreds of young girls, many of whom were from vulnerable backgrounds.

The perpetrators from such gangs used tactics like offering gifts and attention to gain the trust of vulnerable girls, often those from troubled backgrounds. Once the girls were under their control, they used threats and violence to force them into sexual exploitation. The girls were then subjected to repeated sexual abuse, often being passed around by multiple members of the gang. The gangs often operate in secrecy, exploiting the vulnerabilities of their victims and intimidating them into silence.

Notably, Keir Starmer served as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and head of the CPS from 2008 to 2013, a period when awareness and prosecution of grooming gangs gained momentum.

Back then, Starmer introduced new prosecution guidelines emphasizing victim support and recognizing patterns of grooming. Under his leadership, several grooming gang prosecutions were pursued, including the Rochdale case, where nine men were convicted in 2012. However, critics argue that these measures were not implemented quickly enough and that significant gaps in addressing abuse persisted during his tenure.