UK criticises ‘disgraceful’ Musk posts in escalating spat over child sex abuse scandal

LONDON – A senior British minister condemned attacks by Mr Elon Musk on the government as “ridiculous” and “disgraceful”, in an escalating row with the world’s richest man and ally of US President-elect Donald Trump.

The chief executive of Tesla made a string of vitriolic posts on his social media platform X about a British child sex abuse scandal in recent days. Mr Musk

claimed on Jan 3 that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “complicit in the rape of Britain”

and should face charges for his actions as the country’s chief prosecutor.

In that role from 2008 to 2013, Mr Starmer began the prosecution of so-called grooming gangs in British towns. In his final year in office, he ordered a wholesale restructuring of how Britain deals with child abuse cases, saying the legal system had failed victims.

Health secretary Wes Streeting pushed back against Mr Musk’s attacks in broadcast interviews with Sky News and the BBC on Jan 5, arguing that the Trump confidante can do more to combat abuse in his role as a social media platform owner.

“It’s a ridiculous thing to say. It’s ill-informed,” Mr Streeting said. “If he wants to roll his sleeves up and actually do something about tackling violence against women and girls, then online platforms, whether X or any of the other platforms, have got a role to play in keeping people safe.”

It is not the first time that Mr Musk has waded into British politics. Since Mr Starmer

won the general election in July 2024,

Mr Musk has regularly criticised the Labour government and is now calling for a new vote and urging Britons to back Mr Nigel Farage’s Reform party.

“He’s got a big platform, he’s got a big voice, so he can say what he likes,” Mr Streeting said about Mr Musk. “What we’re focused on is making sure we deliver justice to make sure we tackle violence against women and girls.”

Mr Musk has also targeted safeguarding minister Jess Phillips with inflammatory language, calling for her to resign. That is over her decision to reject a request by Oldham Council in northern England to launch a government-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town, favoring a local investigation instead. Ms Phillips’ decision was in line with similar probes set up in Rochdale and Telford.

In a letter to the Oldham administration seen by the BBC, Ms Phillips said council-run inquiries had greater legitimacy because they were locally commissioned and delivered.

On Jan 5, Mr Streeting said it was “a disgraceful smear of a great woman who has spent her life supporting victims of the kind of violence Musk and others say they’re against”.

Before becoming an MP, Ms Phillips worked for the charity Women’s Aid to develop services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, human trafficking and exploitation. BLOOMBERG