Reform’s deputy chief has praised Elon Musk as “popular” and “appreciated” by the British public – as a authorities minister criticised the tech tycoon for “ridiculous” and “ill informed” feedback on the UK grooming scandal.
Chatting with Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Richard Tice defended the proprietor of X and Tesla as “one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history”.
He stated he was content material to have Mr Musk, who’s contemplating making a donation to Reform UK, help his social gathering, including: “He has a great interest in and the politics of this country and in the economy growing.”
It is available in distinction to the stance taken by Wes Streeting, the well being secretary, who stated he was “not interested” in what Mr Musk needed to say on the grooming scandal that happened throughout a swathe of UK cities and cities greater than a decade in the past.
Women as younger as 11 had been groomed and raped throughout a lot of cities in England – together with Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford – over a decade in the past in a nationwide scandal that was uncovered in 2013.
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Wes Streeting, Elon Musk, Richard Tice
The next 12 months a report by Prof Alexis Jay revealed the size of exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 – the place round 1,400 women had been abused – and the failure of police and social providers to intervene.
It was adopted by the statutory Unbiased Inquiry into Little one Sexual Abuse (IICSA), additionally chaired by Prof Jay, who present in her remaining report printed in 2022 that kids had been nonetheless being sexually exploited by networks in all components of England and Wales within the “most degrading and destructive ways”.
Mr Musk has urged that safeguarding minister Jess Philips must be despatched to jail for refusing a request from Oldham council for a nationwide inquiry into the situations of kid sexual exploitation that happened within the city.
Ms Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, stated that whereas she recognised the “strength of feeling” over the matter, she believed it was for “Oldham Council alone to decide to commission an inquiry into child sexual exploitation locally, rather than for the government to intervene”.
The tech billionaire has additionally turned his hearth on the prime minister, claiming that whereas he was director of public prosecutions he did not convey the “rape gangs” to justice.
He posted on X: “The real reason she’s [Ms Phillips] refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”
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Well being Secretary questioned over gangs inquiry
Requested in regards to the feedback, Mr Streeting stated neither Ms Phillips nor Sir Keir wanted “lectures” from Mr Musk.
“About the prime minister and about Jess Phillips, these are two politicians who have one thing in particular in common,” he stated.
“Before they came into politics they have an actual record of banging up rapists, paedophiles and sex offenders, so they don’t need lectures from anyone else, particularly the Conservatives.”
He stated Mr Musk’s feedback had been “a ridiculous thing to say”, “ill informed” and “not fair on either of their record”.
“I’m not interested in what he’s got to say about this,” he stated. “I’m interested in what we’re doing as a government.”
Reform UK and the Conservatives have each known as for a nationwide inquiry into the scandal, with Mr Tice claiming there was a “massive, massive cover up” of a “horrific grooming gangs scandal” by individuals of “mainly Pakistani heritage”.
“This has taken place over decades and authorities, care workers, police workers, the British establishment, senior politicians,” he instructed Sir Trevor.
“And may I say, the mainstream media have turned the other way. And there has been a sort of, ‘this doesn’t suit us because we want massive immigration, we want diversity, and this is inconvenient’. So we won’t explore it.”
Mr Streeting stated “the reason we’re not doing another national inquiry is because there has already been a national inquiry”.
He pointed to the inquiry led by Prof Jay that reported in 2022 and stated victims deserve the “full implementation” of that report, which really useful that establishments that work with kids must be required by regulation to report suspicions of kid sexual abuse.
In addition to criticising authorities figures, Mr Musk has additionally develop into a vocal supporter of Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist who’s at present serving an 18-month jail sentence for contempt of courtroom.
Mr Musk endorsed the far-right activist and claimed Robinson was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
Yesterday at a celebration convention Reform chief Nigel Farage distanced himself from Robinson, saying the jailed activist was “not what we need”.
