British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticized Elon Musk’s online allegation about the child sex grooming gangs in the United Kingdom saying it’s a lie cooked up by the tech mogul to mislead the public.
Starmer said his record as director of public prosecutions (DPP) from 2008-2013 shows how he changed “the entire approach” to child sexual abuse victims that was stopping them from being heard, and had the highest number of cases prosecuted on record.
The UK leader during an interview on Monday, stressed that though he enjoys “the cut-and-thrust of politics,” these debates must “be based on facts and truth, not on lies.”
“Those that are spreading lies and misinformation, as far and as wide as possible – they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves. We’ve seen this playbook many times, whipping up intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it ,” Starmer said.
“When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book, a line has been crossed,” he added.
Starmer’s statement came after the world’s richest man, Musk used his social media platform to dredge up a years-long scandal over historic child sex abuse in parts of England accusing him of failing to curb the menace of gangs that groomed young girls and sexually exploited them.
In one post, Musk called on King Charles III to dissolve parliament and order new elections in Britain. In another, he called for Starmer’s safeguarding minister, Jess Philips, to be imprisoned, calling her “pure evil” and “a wicked creature.” On Monday, he also said Starmer should be in prison.
“We’ve seen this playbook many times, whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it,” Starmer said.
“When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book, a line has been crossed,” he added.
Musk has accused Starmer of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” for failing to thwart grooming gangs while he was director of public prosecutions (DPP).
Starmer staunchly defended his record as head of the DPP on Monday, saying he changed “the entire approach” that had stopped victims from being heard, and had “the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record.”
Following his success in helping to re-elect Donald Trump in the United States, Musk has increasingly inserted himself into the political discourse of other countries.
Last month, Musk endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, ahead of federal elections to be held in February. As well as a string of posts on social media, Musk penned a weekend op-ed for a major German newspaper, explaining his support for the party, which has been accused of resurrecting Nazi-era ideology and slogans.
In response, the German government accused Musk of “trying to influence” the election. Asked how to respond to Musk’s posts, Olaf Scholz, the embattled German chancellor, told German media: “Don’t feed the troll.”
Musk has also called insistently for new elections in the UK, despite the fact the last election was held just six months ago. He has backed the populist party Reform UK and on Sunday called for its leader Nigel Farage to step down, saying he “does not have what it takes” to lead.
Other European leaders have become increasingly troubled by Musk’s meddling in the politics of other countries. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Monday called this a “worrying” development.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed disbelief at Musk’s conduct.“If we had been told the owner of the largest social media network would support an international reactionary movement and directly intervene in elections, including Germany, who would have believed it? This is the world we live in and in which we have to conduct diplomacy,” Macron told French ambassadors in Paris on Monday.
