“Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Starmer."
Sir Keir Starmer is facing criticism from both the Tories and Elon Musk over his handling of the grooming gang scandal.
The row was triggered after it was reported that Labour had formally rejected requests for a Home Office-led inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham.
In a series of posts on X, Mr Musk called for Ms Phillips to be jailed for her rejection of the inquiry.
The tech billionaire also demanded the release of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was jailed for 18 months for contempt of court in October 2024.
Mr Musk tweeted: “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.
“Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Starmer.
“The real reason she’s refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Starmer (head of the CPS at the time).”
Hours after Mr Musk’s intervention, Kemi Badenoch demanded a national probe into the grooming gang scandal, arguing that “2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice”.
She said: “The time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal.
“Trials have taken place all over the country in recent years but no one in authority has joined the dots.
“2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Shadow Safeguarding Minister Alicia Kearns also piled further pressure on the government, writing a letter to Ms Phillips and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Ms Phillips responded to two letters from the Oldham Council executive after the authority voted to request a formal public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in the borough, insisting it was “for Oldham council alone” to decide whether to launch an investigation into alleged exploitation between 2011 and 2014.
Responding to the criticism, a Labour spokesperson pointed out that the party called for and supported a national inquiry into child sexual abuse under Professor Alexis Jay, which concluded in 2022.
The spokesperson also said the party supported an independent review commissioned by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, which covered Oldham.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting said of Mr Musk’s comments:
“Some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think are a misjudged and certainly misinformed.
“But we’re willing to work with Elon Musk.
“I think he’s got a big role to play with his social media platform to help us and other countries to tackle this serious issue. So if he wants to work with us, roll his sleeves up. We’d welcome that.”
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