Tories seek national probe into child rape gangs as Musk spat with Starmer escalates

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Conservatives have called for a national inquiry into child sex abuse after Elon Musk accused Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute gang-rapes when he was chief prosecutor more than a decade ago.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said on Thursday that a full investigation was “long overdue” into grooming scandals in the north of England that began to unravel in 2013.

“There have been trials all over the country in recent years, but no one in power has joined those points,” Badenoch told X, adding that 2025 should be the year “the victims start getting justice.”

Tory frontbenchers Chris Philp and Alicia Kearns later wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, but they did not comment on why the Conservatives had not launched one in government.

A Labor spokesman said the party had already supported a national general inquiry into child abuse due in 2022, and independent local inquiries in specific cities.

“This government is working urgently to strengthen the law so that these crimes are properly reported and investigated,” the spokesperson added.

The row came after Musk made inflammatory allegations against Starmer over his role in pursuing those responsible for the scandal.

The tech billionaire has been increasingly critical of the British government in recent months, comparing it to Joseph Stalin’s Russia.He endorsed Nigel Farage’s Reform Britain party last month supported Germany’s far-right AfD.

on thursday Musk “Serious crimes such as rape require the approval of the Crown Prosecution Service for the police to charge suspects. Who was the head of the CPS when gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without justice? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013.”

However, it was Starmer, while director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, who launched a crackdown on the Rochdale grooming gang in his final year in office, shortly after the Greater Manchester scandal, who was first exposed.

In addition, Starmer has begun overhauling the way the CPS investigates sexual abuse so that more offenders are prosecuted.The reforms also paved the way for a review of historical cases.

Musk claimed Defense Secretary Jess Phillips was “refuse to investigate gang-rapes” to protect Starmer after a report this week said the government had rejected Oldham Council’s request for an inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in the town.

Phillips said in a letter to the local authority that he believed the council should “decide to investigate child sexual exploitation in the local area, rather than government intervention”, according to GB News.

Officials confirmed that the government’s view is that local authorities are best placed to carry out local inquiries, citing the precedent of investigations in Rotherham and Telford, other towns which have been damaged in the fight against gang-related sexual violence.

In addition to the watchdog responsible for inspecting police forces in England and Wales, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services is carrying out an independent review of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester, including the conduct of police and 10 councils in dealing with such cases.

The SpaceX founder also called for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defense League and former member of the British National Party, to be released from prison and reposted messages claiming he was a “political prisoner”.

Robinson, a convicted fraudster whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lenon, was jailed for 18 months in October after pleading guilty to contempt of court for making false claims about a Syrian refugee.

Downing Street declined to comment on Musk’s latest outburst on Thursday, with one official saying the prime minister was focused on governing.

It was the latest in a series of personal attacks against Starmer after the billionaire labeled him a “two-tier Kier” during last summer’s riots, confirming a popular online theory that right-wing activists are treated more brutally by police than People from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said. “No child should ever be sexually abused or exploited. Anyone responsible for the welfare of children must learn from the mistakes of the past and do everything possible to prevent future failures.”