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Elon Musk has doubled down on his criticism of Sir Keir Starmer with a series of outrageous new claims, after the prime minister condemned his “lies and misinformation”.
The billionaire has launched a series of baseless attacks on Sir Keir over grooming gangs, while also calling for the release of jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson – a development which saw him turn on Reform leader Nigel Farage on Sunday, claiming he “does not have what it takes” to lead the party.
In a major speech on NHS reform, Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday: “Those that are spreading lies and misinformation, as far and as wide as possible, are not interested in the victims. They’re interested in themselves. Those who are cheerleading Tommy Robinson are not interested in justice.”
But Mr Musk retorted with a fresh flurry of lurid claims that Sir Keir – who oversaw the first major prosecution of an Asian grooming gang while director of public prosecutions – “was deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes”.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called for the US ambassador to be summoned over Mr Musk’s remarks, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised Sir Keir as a “man of the past with no answers for today’s problems”.
Comment | ‘Attack’ Starmer is right to tell Elon Musk to get lost
Our chief political commentator John Rentoul writes:
In recent days, the prime minister faced a dilemma about how to respond to the barrage of abuse from Elon Musk, troll-in-chief, owner of X (Twitter) and soon-to-be member of the Trump administration. Keir Starmer wanted to rebut the falsehoods being pumped out, but he didn’t want to add to the publicity given to poisonous conspiracy theories.
He made the right decision, coming out swinging this morning against “those that are spreading misinformation as far and wide as possible”.
Starmer said he wasn’t going to “individualise this to Elon Musk or anyone else”, and tried to turn his counterfire onto the Conservative Party – accusing it of echoing the unjustified attack on Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister.
But it is obvious that Musk is the source of the poison, and that Starmer has to make clear, as he said, that “a line has been crossed”.
No foundation for Musk’s claims about Gordon Brown, spokesperson says
There is no foundation for Elon Musk’s allegations about how Gordon Brown dealt with child grooming gangs, a spokesperson for the former Labour prime minister said.
Responding to the billionare’s claims, the spokesperson said: “There is no basis for such allegations at all. They are a complete fabrication. There is no foundation whatsoever for alleging that Mr Brown sent, approved or was in any way involved with issuing a circular or statement to the police because it did not happen.
“The original source of this allegations has expressly accepted Mr Brown was not involved at all. Moreover, there is no evidence that such words or actions now attributed to him by Elon Musk have ever been used by Mr Brown, because he neither said nor did them.
“When it comes to the exploitation and abuse of children and young women by sex grooming gangs, the priority for all people in public life should be to secure justice for the survivors, punishment for the perpetrators, and action at local and national level to ensure that these kind of horrific crimes can never be allowed to happen again.
“But that collective endeavour is undermined when some individuals and media outlets instead propagate outright lies about the reasons that these crimes happened in the past.”
Badenoch claims Starmer is a ‘man of the past with no answers‘
Kemi Badenoch claimed Sir Keir Starmer was a “man of the past” after his attack on her over calls for an inquiry into grooming gangs.
Speaking at a press conference earlier, the prime minister hit out at politicians “calling for inquiries because they want to jump on a bandwagon of the far-right”.
The Tory leader said: “Starmer is applying Labour smear tactics from 20 years ago and thinks they will work today.
“He is a man of the past with no answers for today’s problems, let alone tomorrow’s. That such a huge scandal could occur should prompt soul-searching not ranting that those of us who care about it are ‘the far-right’.”
Voters see tractor tax as more damaging for Labour than Partygate for the Tories, poll reveals
Sir Keir Starmer’s tax raid on family farms and his decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners are worse for Labour than Partygate was for the Conservatives, voters think.
Three of the prime minister’s most controversial decisions since taking office are seen as more toxic than the scandal of lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street during lockdowns, according to a new poll.
A majority (51 per cent) believe Sir Keir’s winter fuel cuts have been more damaging for Labour than Partygate was for the Tories, according to think tank More in Common. Just 16 per cent said Partygate was worse.
More than a third of voters said the family farm tax, dubbed the tractor tax, was more politically harmful to Labour than Partygate, with 24 per cent saying Partygate had a bigger impact.
Archie Mitchell and Alex Ross have more details in this report:
Starmer should summon US ambassador over Musk remarks, Lib Dems say
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said that the US ambassador should be summoned over Elon Musk’s online attacks, after the billionaire suggested that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”.
Sir Ed said: “People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country’s democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain.
“It’s time to summon the US ambassador to ask why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK Government should be overthrown.”
Nigel Farage won’t back down on Reform’s ‘golden rule’
Nigel Farage said on Monday the “golden rule” that former BNP activists will not be welcomed as members will not be changed, and that if Mr Musk “knew the full story of Tommy Robinson, he might have a slightly different view”.
“I’m not giving up principles. I do not allow former BNP activists into this party. That’s a golden rule,” he said.
“We want no links with extremism of any kind at all. It’s not going to happen under my leadership. I’m sorry, but Mr Robinson is not suitable for our party.
“He’s not somebody that we’re going to endorse. And if defending that principle means that I have to forego donations or whatever else it may be, well I’m sorry but for me, principle comes first.”
Home secretary to make Commons address on child exploitation and abuse
Home secretary Yvette Cooper will make a statement on child sexual exploitation to MPs later on Monday.
The statement, on “child sexual exploitation and abuse”, is expected to begin around 5.30pm in the House of Commons.
Watch: Starmer defends handling of grooming gangs scandal as he hits back at Jess Phillips abuse
Elon Musk clearly knows nothing about UK – Ed Davey
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the US ambassador should be summoned over Elon Musk’s online attacks.
Mr Musk suggested that “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”.
Sir Ed said: “People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country’s democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain.
“It’s time to summon the US ambassador to ask why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK Government should be overthrown.”
Wes Streeting advises Elon Musk to go on ‘social media detox’
Cabinet minister Wes Streeting suggested Elon Musk should have a “social media detox” and said he would back Sir Keir Starmer if the Government decided to boycott the tycoon’s X website.
Health Secretary Mr Streeting told the BBC’s World at One: “I think he should probably have a new year’s resolution for a social media detox.
“We are spending far too much time worrying about what someone in America has got to say about something they know little about here in the UK.
“What I do think is shameful is that, whereas we would have seen universal outcry across the political spectrum on this sort of rhetoric and this sort of attack on a good colleague like Jess Phillips … instead we have seen a combination of silent indifference from the more decent Conservatives and, worse still, active complicity from other Conservatives.”
Asked whether the Government should leave X, Mr Streeting said: “We want to get our message across on our terms to the public where they are.”
He added: “So long as the Prime Minister, the leader of my party, is happy for us to continue posting on X I will continue to do so and the moment he takes a decision otherwise I would absolutely go along with that.”
Source: independent.co.uk
