Streeting attacks Musk’s ‘disgraceful smear’ of Jess Phillips
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Elon Musk’s attack on Jesse Phillips’ attack on a sting gang was a “disgraceful smear”.
Tech billionaire Musk posted on his social media site X that the security minister should be jailed, calling her a “rape genocide apologist” and criticizing Sir Keir Starmer for failing to prosecute criminal gangs .
Mr Phillips previously rejected the government’s request for a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, sparking calls from Britain’s Conservatives and Reform parties for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
Streeting told the BBC that Musk’s comments were “ill-judged” because Phillips had done “more than most” to combat sexual abuse.
“This is a shameful smear against a great woman who has spent her life supporting Elon Musk and Victims of violence that others object to.
“While the likes of Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips are working so hard to lock up wife beaters, rapists and pedophiles, sit there and rush to fire some It’s easy to put something in and click send.”
Musk’s latest intervention comes after Phillips instructed Oldham Council in October Local investigation launched into historic child sex abuse in townsimilar to inquiries set up in Rochdale and Telford.
Musk said her response was “worthy of jail time.”
Although the previous Conservative government rejected a similar request in 2022, the decision was criticized by several senior Conservatives.
Musk, a key adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, also said Sir Keir failed to properly prosecute rape gangs when he was Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and repeatedly retweeted Reform UK and Conservative MPs calling for a national inquiry. arts.
Streeting’s comments came after Reform Party leader Nigel Farage defended Musk after he attacked the British government’s response to grooming gangs.
Farage said on the same show that Musk had used “The terms are very tough” but “free speech is back” on X under his ownership.
He said it was “absolutely right” for the public to be outraged at the grooming ring and ask why a full public inquiry had not been held.
Streeting asked Musk to “roll up his sleeves” and help address violence against women on online platforms.
“Online platforms play a role in keeping people safe online, helping law enforcement target perpetrators of violence against women and those who want to raise their children online.”
The health secretary said both Sir Keir and Phillips had “records that their critics can’t even touch”.
During his time as Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Keir appointed a special prosecutor for child abuse and sexual exploitation who oversaw the convictions of grooming gangs.
Starmer also revised guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service to encourage police to investigate suspects in complex sexual abuse cases, and introduced court reforms to make the process less traumatic for victims.
“As Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer built historic cases and pursued those who thought they were getting away with it,” Streeting said.
“As for Jessie Phillips, the work she has done in her career outside of politics has supported victims of violence against women and girls, helping support them through the courts and jailing their abusers,” he added.
Conservative leader Kemmy Badenock has called for a full national public inquiry into what she calls Britain’s “rape gang scandal”.
But the party also criticized Musk for “sharing things that were factually inaccurate” and distanced himself from his calls for Phillips to go to jail.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticized Musk’s comments about Phillips as “inappropriate” but believed he was “right to raise this common issue”.
Philp said on the same program that politicians have an “obligation” to talk about difficult issues in a calm way “but they also have an obligation to tell the truth on these issues”.
In a letter seen by the BBC, Phillips and home secretary Yvette Cooper wrote to the Conservatives setting out why they asked Oldham Council to set up its own inquiry rather than approve it being government-led. investigation request.
The letter states that local authorities have begun their own investigation, adding that the victims have made it “loud and clear” that they want action taken.
They said they supported an independent review commissioned by Mayor Andy Burnham, which covered historical abuse in Oldham and led to a new police investigation, as well as other child protection measures across Greater Manchester. Work.
The letter highlights the work of the Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which is due to release its final findings in 2022. It makes clear that “abuse must be pursued and challenged wherever it occurs without fear or favour” – whether in care homes, churches, homes or sex grooming rings.
Professor Alexis Jay, who is leading the inquiry, said in November she was “frustrated” that more than two years later none of the inquiry’s 20 recommendations to tackle abuse had been implemented.
There are a number of investigations into grooming gangs across England, including in Rotherham, Bristol, Cornwall and Derbyshire.
An investigation into abuse in Rotherham found 1,400 children, mostly British-Pakistani men, were sexually abused over 16 years.
A Telford inquiry has found that up to 1,000 girls were abused over 40 years and that some cases were not investigated because of “racial tensions”.
