BBCNigel Farage has defended Elon Musk after the billionaire attacked the UK authorities’s response to grooming gangs on X, the social media platform he owns.
In a collection of posts over a number of days, Musk recommended Sir Keir Starmer did not prosecute gangs and mentioned House Workplace minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in jail”.
It got here because the House Workplace defended its resolution to reject a request for it to steer a public inquiry into youngster sexual exploitation in Oldham. The Conservatives and Reform UK have known as for a wider nationwide inquiry.
Requested about Musk’s feedback on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage mentioned he had used “very robust phrases” however that “free speech was again” on X beneath his possession.
Farage was additionally pressed on his wider relationship with Musk, who is claimed to be contemplating donating cash to his Reform get together.
Musk’s newest intervention on UK politics got here after Phillips, a safeguarding minister inside the House Workplace, instructed Oldham Council to launch its personal native inquiry into historic youngster sexual abuse within the city, just like inquiries arrange in Rochdale and Telford. The native authority had known as for a government-led inquiry.
The tech tycoon seized on the choice, which was taken in October, and commenced closely criticising the British authorities on-line.
He recommended Sir Keir had did not correctly prosecute rape gangs whereas director of public prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly shared posts from Reform and Conservative MPs calling for a nationwide inquiry.
Musk, who’s a key advisor to incoming US President Donald Trump, known as the prime minister “two-tier Keir” and accused Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist”.
Requested concerning the feedback, Farage mentioned “robust issues get mentioned… by either side of the talk”.
He continued: “This man occurs to be the richest man on this planet, however equally, the truth that he is purchased Twitter now really offers us a spot the place we are able to have a correct open debate about many issues… We could discover it offensive, however it’s factor, not a nasty factor.”
Earlier this week, Farage distanced himself from Musk’s assist for Tommy Robinson – a far-right activist who’s serving a jail time period for committing contempt of courtroom.
PA MediaIn an interview to be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday morning, Farage mentioned the general public is “completely proper to be” indignant about grooming gangs.
He went on: “I simply assume individuals ask themselves, what has occurred to our nation? How might this presumably have occurred? Why did all people need to cowl it up? Why has there been no full public inquiry?”
On Saturday, House Secretary Yvette Cooper defended Phillips as “fearless and formidable” and somebody who has campaigned “tirelessly for justice for these badly let down by endemic institutional failure” for a few years.
In a separate letter seen by the BBC, Phillips and Cooper wrote to the Conservatives setting out why they’d requested Oldham Council to arrange its personal inquiry, fairly than grant its request for a government-led one. The earlier Conservative authorities turned down an analogous request in 2022.
The letter identified the native authority had already began organising its personal inquiry, and added that victims have mentioned “loud and clear” they need motion.
“In Oldham the crimes dedicated by grooming gangs had been horrific,” they wrote.
“Younger ladies had been abused in essentially the most merciless and sadistic method. Victims and the neighborhood must know that each one steps are taken to ship justice and shield youngsters correctly sooner or later.”
They mentioned they supported an impartial evaluate commissioned by Mayor Andy Burnham, which lined historic abuse in Oldham and led to a brand new police investigation, in addition to different youngster safety work throughout Higher Manchester.
The letter highlighted the work of the Baby Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which printed its last findings in 2022. It made clear that “abuse have to be pursued and challenged in all places with no concern or favour” – whether or not in care properties, church buildings, properties or by grooming gangs.
Professor Alexis Jay, who led that inquiry, mentioned in November she felt “pissed off” that none of its 20 suggestions to deal with abuse had been applied greater than two years later.
On Friday, Well being Secretary West Streeting mentioned the federal government was getting “on with the job” of implementing the suggestions “in full” since taking workplace in July.
There have been a number of investigations into grooming gangs in varied components of England, together with Rotherham, Bristol, Cornwall and Derbyshire.
An inquiry into abuse in Rotherham discovered 1,400 youngsters had been sexually abused over a 16-year interval, predominantly by British Pakistani males.
An investigation in Telford discovered that as much as 1,000 ladies had been abused over 40 years – and that some circumstances had not been investigated due to “nervousness about race”.
Police figures from 2023 reveal that group-based youngster sexual abuse accounted for 3.7% of all sexual offences towards youngsters reported to police.
Based on the information, 26% of group-based youngster sexual abuse occurred inside households, in contrast with 17% involving teams together with grooming gangs.
