Tories demand inquiry into grooming gangs scandal as Elon Musk attacks Starmer

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In the extraordinary new year spat: Musk attacked Starmer’s handling of grooming scandal, claimed Jess Phillips should be jailed and demanded release of Tommy Robinson Badenoch said inquiry into child exploitation is ‘long overdue’ Two Tory ministers penned letter to Yvette Cooper and Ms Phillips demanding probe Nigel Farage took aim at Tories, saying they had 14 years to launch an inquiry Labour MP argued Musk had ‘pushed it too far this time’ In a series of posts to his social media platform X, the tech billionaire called for safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to be jailed for rejecting calls for a public inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham, as well as demanding the release of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was jailed for 18 months for contempt of court last October. Hours after Mr Musk’s bizarre intervention, Ms Badenoch demanded a national probe into the UK’s “rape gangs scandal”, arguing that “2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice”. After Mr Musk’s intervention, Ms Badenoch said: “The time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal. The Tesla boss’s latest attack comes just days after Downing Street was forced to defend Sir Keir’s government as “unashamedly pro-growth” after Mr Musk lashed out at his policies.