Elon Musk’s attacks on Jess Phillips a ‘disgraceful smear’, Streeting says
The IndependentGet the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wes Streeting has said attacks made by Elon Musk on Jess Phillips over grooming gangs are a “disgraceful smear” considering the Labour minister’s efforts to support victims of abuse. It is a disgraceful smear of a great woman who has spent her life supporting victims of the kind of violence that Elon Musk and others say that they’re against Wes Streeting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage defended Mr Musk, saying the South African-born US businessman had used “very tough terms” but that “in public life, tough things get said”. “And it’s all very well sitting there, and I’m not just talking about Musk – I’m talking about armchair critics on social media – it’s all very easy to sit there and fire off something in haste and click send, when people like Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips have done the hard yards of actually locking up wife beaters, rapists, paedophiles.” He said the best response from the Government to Mr Musk was to focus on “tackling the problem, not talking about it”. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said some of Mr Musk’s comments about Ms Phillips were “not appropriate” but he was right to raise the issue of grooming gangs.