Elon Musk has escalated his criticism of the UK government, particularly targeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after Labour rejected a call for a public inquiry into child grooming gangs. Musk, the world’s richest man, expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the issue on social media, where he shared a tweet questioning whether King Charles should dissolve Parliament and call for a General Election. Musk further condemned Starmer’s role in not bringing justice to the victims of “rape gangs” when he was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service.
It’s the aftermath of Labour refusing to support an inquiry into grooming gangs in Oldham, which caused Musk to go for severe retribution against those in government office. In fact, Musk, while tweeting on this issue, suggested that a minister in charge of safeguarding, Jess Phillips, “deserves to be in prison.”. Besides this, he came in support of the activist Tommy Robinson, jailed on charges of contempt of court, and further blasted the government over its inability to punish culprits behind atrocities.
Backlash to the government’s response calls for a national inquiry into the “grooming gangs” scandal that has left a string of communities affected in the UK. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and other lawmakers, including shadow home secretary Chris Philp, stressed that there was a need for a full-scale investigation into the crimes at a national level.
While Labour insists on its stance, arguing that local councils must decide whether the inquiries should happen, critics such as Musk and reform advocates accused the establishment of failing to act in the interest of victims. Calls for reform are gaining momentum with figures such as Musk calling for a change in leadership and policy, including the possibility of voting for Reform UK.
Despite the appeals for accountability, the UK government insists that it is committed to dealing with child sexual exploitation and points to earlier reports and ongoing work by local investigations. But many believe much remains to be done in the way of bringing justice to the victims.
