Starmer hits back at Musk over his comments on historical sexual assault cases

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at Elon Musk over his comments on the UK’s handling of historical sexual assault cases.

The billionaire close to US President-elect Donald Trump has criticized Starmer and his government protection minister Jess Phillips in a series of posts on X in recent days, mainly to complain about the failure to hold perpetrators to account.

In a speech in Epsom on Monday, Starmer said that “a line has been crossed”, adding that “those who spread lies and misinformation as widely as possible are not concerned with the victims – they are concerned with themselves.” “.

“We have seen this playbook many times – incitement to intimidation and threats of violence, in the hope that the media will amplify it… When far-right venom leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, it crosses the line,” Starmer said.

Musk has repeatedly made news about UK politics since the Labor Party election in July. In recent days, he published dozens of posts about a historical scandal involving sexual grooming gangs in northern England.

Calling Phillips a “rape genocide apologist” and an “evil witch.”

On Friday, Musk claimed Starmer was “complicit in the rape of Britain,” a reference to the prime minister’s previous role overseeing the U.K. prosecutors’ office when evidence of gangs emerged more than a decade ago.

Starmer said on Monday that as prosecutor for five years, he had dealt with gangs directly and reopened various cases.

He also criticized those – including Musk – who supported far-right instigator Tommy Robinson, saying he was a man who went to prison for nearly collapsing in a grooming case.

This is a developing story