UK PM Keir Starmer slams Elon Musk for spreading 'lies and misinformation'; X boss reacts

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer responded to Elon Musk's comments regarding the UK's handling of the grooming gang cases.

US President-elect Donald Trump's close aide Musk, in a series of posts on X, has accused Starmer of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service, alleging a failure to address grooming gangs effectively.

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Starmer issued one of his most direct comments to Musk's criticism yet, saying, “Those who are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible are not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves.”

Although he did not mention Musk directly, he was responding to a question about Elon Musk's recent attacks.

After Starmer's comments, X boss posted on X, "What an insane thing to say! The real reason is that it would show how Starmer repeatedly ignored the pleas of vast numbers of little girls and their parents, in order to secure political support. Starmer is utterly despicable."

'A line has been crossed'

“We have seen this playbook many times—whipping up of intimidation and of threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it... 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,” Starmer added.

"I enjoy the cut and thrust of politics, the robust debate that we must have, but that's got to be based on facts and truth, not on lies,"Starmersaid.

Referring to the controversial activist Tommy Robinson, he said, “People who are cheerleading Tommy Robinson are not interested in justice; they are supporting a man who went to prison for nearly collapsing a grooming case, a gang grooming case.”

Musk previouslyshared posts criticising Prime MinisterKeir Starmerand Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips regarding their handling of child abuse scandals in towns such as Rochdale and Oldham. He reposted claims that linked these cases to systemic failings during the time Sir Keir Starmer led the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

In one of his posts, Musk wrote, “In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service’s approval for the police to charge suspects. Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013.”

Grooming gangs in UK

For several years, there has been systematic rape of young females in the UK by organised gangs, including those in Rotherham, Bristol, Rochdale, Cornwall, and Derbyshire. Many of these gangs were operated by mainly South Asian Muslim men.

According to British media, an inquiry into the Rotherham grooming gangs scandal found that 1,400 girlswere sexually abusedby grooming gangs from 1997 to 2013.

(With inputs from agencies)