Lisa Nandy has mentioned she “utterly refutes” claims Elon Musk’s intervention on UK grooming gangs prompted motion from the federal government.
Tech billionaire and Trump ally Mr Musk spent the primary fortnight of 2025 accusing the federal government of failing to do sufficient concerning the historic grooming gangs scandal, attacking Sir Keir Starmer and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips particularly.
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On Thursday, Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper introduced a plan for government-backed native grooming gang inquiries and different measures she mentioned would assist victims of the scandal that noticed organised gangs throughout the UK’s cities and cities sexually exploiting a whole lot of weak younger girls and women.
Put to Ms Nandy that Mr Musk’s intervention prompted motion from the federal government, she mentioned: “I utterly refute that.
“We introduced ahead the Kids’s Wellbeing Invoice a few weeks in the past. That’s laws that we introduced, fairly considerably prematurely of any noise that we noticed on social media.
“We’ve been very focused on this issue, and it was part of our manifesto.
“We have been very outspoken about it in opposition, and we have continued to be outspoken about it in authorities and waste no time in appearing.”
She added: “These things can’t be magicked up overnight, we’ve been working on them for a very long time.”
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Why Musk took curiosity in scandal
The tradition secretary, who beforehand dismissed requires any additional grooming gangs inquiries, mentioned the federal government’s announcement of latest native inquiries was a “review of the existing evidence” to make sure the correct knowledge is collected on points corresponding to ethnicity.
“So that we really fully understand the pattern of behaviour and the drivers that are contributing to this horrendous phenomenon that we’ve seen in many, many towns across the UK,” she mentioned.
Ms Nandy added the 20 suggestions made by Professor Alexis Jay after her seven-year nationwide inquiry was printed in 2022 can be applied by the Labour authorities.
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Yvette Cooper introduced new native inquiries into grooming gangs on Thursday. Pic: PA
The grooming gangs scandal returned to the headlines in the beginning of January after it emerged safeguarding minister Ms Phillips had rejected calls from Oldham Council for a authorities inquiry into historic grooming gangs within the city, with Ms Phillips saying the council ought to lead an inquiry as a substitute.
The prime minister hit again at Mr Musk, saying his document reveals how he tackled the problem head-on.
Opposition MPs have known as for a nationwide inquiry however the authorities has mentioned there already was one – carried out by Professor Jay.
