By Kate Holton
LONDON (Reuters) – A child sexual abuse scandal that revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, has returned to the political agenda in Britain following criticism from Elon Musk.
Musk, a close ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to quit over what he said was Starmer’s failure to tackle the scandal when he was the country’s leading prosecutor, accusing him of being “complicit in the rape of Britain”.
Starmer has defended his record as head of the Crown Prosecution Service, saying he tackled the gangs head on.
Below is what is known about the organised sexual abuse of young girls in multiple towns and cities in northern England, Starmer’s role in prosecuting the scandal, and the impact it is having on British politics.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE UK GROOMING GANGS SCANDAL?
A report in 2014 made a conservative estimate that more than 1,400 girls were sexually exploited in the town of Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Many were already known to local services because they were in care or had been subject to neglect.
It said girls as young as 11 were raped by large numbers of male perpetrators. It said local officials deemed the children to be having consensual sexual intercourse.
The report said the majority of known perpetrators were of Pakistani heritage and that in some cases local officials and other agencies had been wary of identifying ethnic origins for fear of upsetting community cohesion, or being seen as racist.
An investigation into similar cases in Oldham criticised police and the local council but said they had not discovered a cover up.
WHAT WAS KEIR STARMER’S ROLE?
Starmer was the director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013.
Starmer said on Monday that he had tackled the issue head on, brought the first major prosecution of a gang accused of grooming and rape, and had the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted when he left the role.
WHY IS THE SCANDAL BACK IN THE HEADLINES?
Opposition politicians including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, head of the right-wing Reform Party, have called for a national inquiry after media reports said the government had told Oldham council it should hold its own investigation.
Britain has held numerous investigations into child abuse scandals in different areas of northern England. A broader nationwide public inquiry into child sexual abuse, including within churches and schools, reported in 2022, making a number of recommendations which have not yet been implemented.
Starmer’s government, elected in July, said on Monday it was working at pace to implement the recommendations.
Musk has amplified the issue. He accused Britain’s safeguarding minister Jess Phillips of being a “rape genocide apologist” who should be in jail. He also said Starmer must quit and accused him of failing to prosecute when he ran the Crown Prosecution Service.
Professor Alexis Jay, who led an inquiry into crimes in Rotherham, and the national abuse inquiry, said a new inquiry was not needed and the government should work to implement her previous recommendations.
HOW IS THE SCANDAL, AND MUSK, AFFECTING BRITISH POLITICS?
Musk’s near-constant criticism of Starmer and his Labour government has hindered the prime minister as he tries to set the agenda in the new year, following a difficult first six months in power.
A speech on efforts to overhaul the health service on Monday was overshadowed by questions about Musk, with Starmer defending his record and attacking those who spread misinformation online.
Starmer has refrained from commenting on Musk’s increasingly critical comments of his premiership, not wanting to engage in a public slanging match with someone who could influence Trump’s thinking on ties with Britain.
Starmer is not the only British politician in Musk’s sights. He had appeared close to the Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage last year, before he said on Sunday that Farage should quit because he does not have what it takes to lead Reform.
The two men had appeared to disagree over British anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who is known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, with Farage saying he disagreed with Musk’s backing for Robinson.
Robinson is serving a prison sentence for contempt of court.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Alison Williams)
