Tories want national inquiry into child-rape gangs as Musk clashes with Starmer

Open the editor’s digest for free

FT editor Rula Khalaf picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Conservatives have called for a national inquiry into child sex abuse after Elon Musk accused Sir Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute rapists when he was chief prosecutor a decade ago.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch In the year A full investigation into the marriage scandals in the north of England, which began to emerge in 2013, is “long overdue”, he said on Thursday.

“In recent years, there have been attempts across the country, but no one in power has joined the dots,” Badnok said at XX, adding that 2025 should be the year “where the victims start getting justice.”

Tory frontbenchers Chris Phillips and Alicia Kearns later asked Home Secretary Yvette Cooper a national inquiry. But the Conservatives have given no explanation as to why they did not institute such an inquiry when they were in government.

The party’s spokesperson The party has already backed the 2022 report on child abuse and environmental neutrality.

The spokesperson added, “This government is working urgently to strengthen the law so that these crimes are properly recorded and investigated.”

The row erupted after Mook launched inflammatory claims against Starmer for his role in bringing perpetrators to justice in the scandal.

The tech billionaire has come under increasing criticism in recent months, comparing the British government to Joseph Stalin’s Russia. He supported Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party last month He supported the German right-wing extremist group.

on thursday, Musk He wrote on his social media site X: “In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the consent of the Crown Prosecution Service for the police to charge suspects.” Who was in charge of CPS when gangs were allowed to exploit young girls with impunity? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013.

However, Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, it was Starmer who prosecuted the Rochdale Gang in the final year of the Rochdale Gang, a scandal in Greater Manchester. It was announced for the first time.

In addition, Starmer has initiated reforms to the way CPS investigates sexual assault to ensure more offenders are prosecuted. The amendment paved the way for the review of historical issues.

Mook said Defense Minister Jess Phillips “refused to investigate rape offenders” to protect Starmer, according to a report this week that the government rejected requests for a Home Office inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in the city.

According to GB News, in a letter written to the local government, Phillips believes that the council itself “decided to have an investigation into the sexual exploitation of children in the area, rather than government intervention”.

Citing investigations into gang-related child sexual abuse in other towns in Rotherham and Telford, officials confirmed the government’s view that local authorities are better off asking local questions.

In addition, HMRC, which is responsible for investigating police forces in England and Wales, and the Fire and Rescue Service, is conducting an independent review of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester, including police and 10 Councils regarding such matters.

The founder of SpaceX has called for the release of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson – a founder of the English Defense League and a former member of the British National Party – and has retweeted messages claiming he is a “political prisoner”.

Accused fraudster Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for 18 months in October and admitted to defying a court hearing by repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee.

Downing Street declined to comment on Mook’s latest outburst on Thursday, with one official saying the prime minister was focused on governance.

It was the latest in a series of personal attacks by the billionaire against Starmer after last year’s riots last summer, when he labeled it “two-step care”, backing the theory that right-wing activists should be policed ​​more tightly than they are. People from ethnic minorities in the UK.

The Home Office said: “No child should be sexually abused or exploited. Everyone responsible for the safety of children must learn from past mistakes and do everything possible to prevent future failures.