Farage defends Musk after grooming gangs posts

Nigel Farage has defended Elon Musk aft the billionaire attacked the UK government's effect to grooming gangs connected X, the societal media level helium owns.

In a bid of posts implicit respective days, Musk suggested Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute gangs and said Home Office curate Jess Phillips "deserves to beryllium successful prison".

It came arsenic the Home Office defended its determination to cull a petition for it to pb a nationalist enquiry into kid intersexual exploitation successful Oldham. The Conservatives and Reform UK person called for a wider nationalist inquiry.

Asked astir Musk's comments connected Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Farage said helium had utilized "very pugnacious terms" but that "free code was back" connected X nether his ownership.

Farage was besides pressed connected his wider narration with Musk, who is said to beryllium considering donating wealth to his Reform party.

Musk's latest involution connected UK authorities came aft Phillips, a safeguarding curate wrong the Home Office, instructed Oldham Council to motorboat its ain section enquiry into historical kid intersexual maltreatment successful the town, akin to inquiries acceptable up successful Rochdale and Telford. The section authorization had called for a government-led inquiry.

The tech tycoon seized connected the decision, which was taken successful October, and began heavy criticising the British authorities online.

He suggested Sir Keir had failed to decently prosecute rape gangs portion manager of nationalist prosecutions (DPP), and has repeatedly shared posts from Reform and Conservative MPs calling for a nationalist inquiry.

Musk, who is simply a cardinal advisor to incoming US President Donald Trump, called the premier curate "two-tier Keir" and accused Phillips of being a "rape genocide apologist".

Asked astir the comments, Farage said "tough things get said... by some sides of the debate".

He continued: "This antheral happens to beryllium the richest antheral successful the world, but equally, the information that he's bought Twitter present really gives america a spot wherever we tin person a due unfastened statement astir galore things... We whitethorn find it offensive, but it's a bully thing, not a atrocious thing."

Earlier this week, Farage distanced himself from Musk's enactment for Tommy Robinson - a far-right activistic who is serving a jailhouse word for committing contempt of court.

In an interrogation to beryllium broadcast connected BBC One connected Sunday morning, Farage said the nationalist is "absolutely close to be" aggravated astir grooming gangs.

He went on: "I conscionable deliberation radical inquire themselves, what has happened to our country? How could this perchance person happened? Why did everybody privation to screen it up? Why has determination been nary afloat nationalist inquiry?"

On Saturday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended Phillips arsenic "fearless and formidable" and idiosyncratic who has campaigned "tirelessly for justness for those severely fto down by endemic organization failure" for galore years.

In a abstracted missive seen by the BBC, Phillips and Cooper wrote to the Conservatives mounting retired wherefore they had asked Oldham Council to acceptable up its ain inquiry, alternatively than assistance its petition for a government-led one. The erstwhile Conservative authorities turned down a akin petition successful 2022.

The missive pointed retired the section authorization had already started mounting up its ain inquiry, and added that victims person said "loud and clear" they privation action.

"In Oldham the crimes committed by grooming gangs were horrific," they wrote.

"Young girls were abused successful the astir cruel and sadistic way. Victims and the assemblage request to cognize that each steps are taken to present justness and support children decently successful the future."

They said they supported an autarkic reappraisal commissioned by Mayor Andy Burnham, which covered historical maltreatment successful Oldham and led to a caller constabulary investigation, arsenic good arsenic different kid extortion enactment crossed Greater Manchester.

The missive highlighted the work of the Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry, which published its last findings successful 2022. It made wide that "abuse indispensable beryllium pursued and challenged everyplace with nary fearfulness oregon favour" - whether successful attraction homes, churches, homes oregon by grooming gangs.

Professor Alexis Jay, who led that inquiry, said successful November she felt "frustrated" that nary of its 20 recommendations to tackle maltreatment had been implemented much than 2 years later.

On Friday, Health Secretary West Streeting said the authorities was getting "on with the job" of implementing the recommendations "in full" since taking bureau successful July.

There person been respective investigations into grooming gangs successful assorted parts of England, including Rotherham, Bristol, Cornwall and Derbyshire.

An enquiry into maltreatment successful Rotherham recovered 1,400 children had been sexually abused implicit a 16-year period, predominantly by British Pakistani men.

An probe successful Telford recovered that up to 1,000 girls had been abused implicit 40 years - and that immoderate cases had not been investigated due to the fact that of "nervousness astir race".

Police figures from 2023 uncover that group-based kid intersexual maltreatment accounted for 3.7% of each intersexual offences against children reported to police.

According to the data, 26% of group-based kid intersexual maltreatment happened wrong families, compared with 17% involving groups including grooming gangs.

• Watch Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg connected BBC One astatine 9am