Musk is ‘misjudged and positively misinformed’ over UK grooming assaults, says minister
LONDON — A senior British politician pushed again Friday on Elon Musk’s criticism of the federal government’s dealing with of a historic little one grooming scandal.
In current days, Musk has shared and reacted to posts on his X platform which have been vital of the British authorities after it rejected a name for a public inquiry into the grooming scandal within the north of England city of Oldham.
Although Well being Secretary Wes Streeting stated Musk’s views have been was “misjudged and positively misinformed,” he urged the world’s richest man and shut confidant of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to work with the federal government on tackling the problem of kid sexual exploitation.
The federal government has argued that Oldham should comply with within the footsteps of different cities and fee its personal inquiry into the historic abuse of primarily ladies.
A 2022 report into safeguarding measures in Oldham between 2011 and 2014 discovered that youngsters have been failed by native companies, however that there was no cover-up regardless of “legit issues” that the far-right would capitalize on “the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders throughout the nation.”
Musk has additionally focused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who he claimed had didn’t deliver what many time period “rape gangs” to justice when he was the director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013. The scandals, Musk stated Friday, symbolize a “large crime towards humanity.”
Streeting advised ITV Information that the federal government took little one sexual exploitation “extremely significantly” and that it was supportive of an inquiry into the Oldham scandal, however that it must be led domestically.
“Among the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I feel are misjudged and positively misinformed, however we’re prepared to work with Elon Musk, who I feel has obtained an enormous position to play together with his social media platform to assist us and different international locations to sort out this critical problem,” Streeting stated. “So if he desires to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we’d welcome that.”
Musk has been, it appears, taking a eager curiosity within the U.Ok. political scene because the left-of-center Labour Get together received a landslide election victory in July 2024, to deliver an finish to 14 years of Conservative rule.
Musk has retweeted criticism of Starmer and the hashtag TwoTierKeir – shorthand for an unsubstantiated declare that Britain has “two-tier policing,” with far-right protesters handled extra harshly than pro-Palestinian or Black Lives Matter demonstrators.
Musk has additionally in contrast British makes an attempt to weed out on-line misinformation to the Soviet Union, whereas throughout summer time anti-immigrant violence throughout the U.Ok. he tweeted that “civil warfare is inevitable.”
Musk additionally backed calls Friday for a U.Ok. common election, barely six months after the final one. “The folks of Britain are not looking for this authorities in any respect. New elections,” he wrote.
He has additionally not too long ago expressed his help for Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the founding father of the far-right English Protection League, who is healthier often called Tommy Robinson and who’s serving an 18-month jail time period for contempt of court docket.
In addition to providing his ideas, Musk is seemingly involved in placing his cash the place his mouth is by funding Reform U.Ok., a right-wing occasion led by Nigel Farage, who’s Trump’s highest-profile British champion, to the tune of 100 million kilos ($124 million).
