Keir Starmer is as ‘responsible as anybody’ over failures to sort out grooming gangs, former detective claims – as strain mounts on Government to order public inquiry into Oldham scandal
Keir Starmer is as ‘guilty as anyone’ over failures to tackle grooming gangs, a former detective claimed last night.
As pressure mounted on the Government to deliver a public inquiry into the scandal, whistleblower Maggie Oliver said she had no faith in the Prime Minister’s desire to get to the truth.
Ms Oliver, who helped expose the failure to tackle paedophile gangs in Rochdale, intervened after Labour blocked calls for a public inquiry into rape and sexual abuse by gangs in neighbouring Oldham.
It came as Sir Keir was drawn into an extraordinary public spat with Elon Musk over his handling of the scandal during his five years as Director of Public Prosecutions.
The world’s richest man said the Prime Minister was ‘complicit’ in ‘the worst mass crime in the history of Britain’.
Tesla founder Mr Musk, who has emerged as Donald Trump‘s right-hand man, also launched a vitriolic attack on safeguarding minister Jess Phillips over her decision to refuse a public inquiry, which triggered the latest row.
Mr Musk also shared a post asking whether King Charles ‘should dissolve Parliament and order a general election… for the sake and security’ of Britain.
In a further sign of diplomatic trouble to come, Mr Trump himself savaged Labour’s controversial Net Zero plans.
A former detective has claimed that Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) is as ‘guilty as anyone’ over failures to tackle grooming gangs
Whistleblower Maggie Oliver (pictured) said she had no confidence in the Prime Minister’s desire to get to the truth
Elon Musk (pictured) said Sir Keir was ‘complicit’ in ‘the worst mass crime in the history of Britain’
The President-elect, who takes office in less than three weeks, said Labour was making a ‘very big mistake’ in running down the North Sea oil and gas industry.
In a swipe at Ed Miliband’s drive for wind power, he added: ‘Get rid of windmills.’
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Musk’s outspoken attacks on Sir Keir’s handling of the child-grooming scandal were ‘misjudged and certainly misinformed’.
But Ms Oliver, who runs a foundation supporting abuse victims, said it was time for a ‘totally independent’ investigation into the grooming of girls by gangs of paedophiles in towns and cities across the country.
The former Greater Manchester Police detective said Labour and the Conservatives were ‘equally to blame’ for failing to get to grips with the scandal – and suggested that the PM was among those who had questions to answer about their past decisions.
‘Keir Starmer, as the former DPP, is perhaps as guilty as anyone I know in where we find ourselves today,’ she said. ‘We `all know what’s going on, but I don’t trust a single one of those who to date have been entrusted with keeping our children safe and prosecuting serial rapists. They’ve failed. Repeatedly. Knowingly. Criminally.’
Mr Musk, who posted dozens of highly critical messages about child grooming in the UK on his social media site X yesterday, said Ms Phillips ‘deserves to be in prison’ for refusing a request for a Home Office-backed inquiry into the failure to deal with grooming gangs in Oldham.
The multi-billionaire also renewed his six-month war of words with the PM, which Downing Street has been trying to calm down. ‘Who was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013,’ he said.
In his latest attacks on Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Musk shared a post asking whether Charles ‘should dissolve parliament and order a General Election¿ for the sake and security’ of Britain.
Mr Musk later accused Sir Kier, who was director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013, of having allowed criminals to get away with abuse
Ms Oliver, who runs a foundation supporting abuse victims, said it was time for a ‘totally independent’ investigation into the grooming of girls by gangs of paedophiles
‘Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Starmer. The real reason she’s refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Starmer (head of the CPS at the time).’
Mr Streeting defended the Government’s record and told ITV News that ministers took child sexual exploitation ‘incredibly seriously’.
He urged Mr Musk to work with the Government on tackling online abuse of children.
He added: ‘Some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think are misjudged and certainly misinformed, but we’re willing to work with Elon Musk, who I think has got a big role to play with his social media platform to help us and other countries to tackle this serious issue.
‘So if he wants to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we’d welcome that.’
The Health Secretary insisted ministers supported an inquiry into the Oldham scandal, but said it had to be led locally.
‘We would absolutely encourage and work with Oldham in establishing their own inquiries,’ he added.
Care minister Andrew Gwynne urged Mr Musk to stick to US politics – and suggested there had already been enough inquiries into the handling of the grooming scandal.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting defended the Government’s record and said that ministers took child sexual exploitation ‘incredibly seriously’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called on the Government to launch a public inquiry into grooming gangs
Mr Gwynne told LBC: ‘There comes a point where we don’t need more inquiries, and had Elon Musk really paid attention to what’s been going on in this country, he might have recognised that there have already been inquiries.’
Survivors of sex abuse in Rotherham publicly called for action to deliver justice for those who suffered abuse at the hands of paedophile gangs grooming young girls for sex.
Sarah Wilson, who suffered years of abuse in Rotherham from the age of 11, said Ms Phillips should ‘hang her head in shame’, adding: ‘Anyone who denies an independent investigation has a lot to hide.’
Sammy Woodhouse, another Rotherham victim, said it was time for ‘action’ against professionals, including police and social workers, who failed to stop the abuse.
She said: ‘We have report, after report, after report telling us the same thing. We know what’s happening in this country because people like myself have been giving thousands of interviews to the mainstream media telling you about it.
‘What’s not happening is action – there’s not enough paedophiles being taken through the courts and when they are they’re walking free. There’s no professionals being held to account.’
Kemi Badenoch also stepped up calls for a public inquiry after Mr Gwynne accused her of ‘playing politics’ with the issue.
The Tory leader responded: ‘Labour claimed I was ‘playing politics’ when I fought to stop rapists being put in women’s prisons. It’s exactly this sort of language that protected the rape gangs in the first place.
Sarah Wilson, a survivor of sex abuse in Rotherham, has spoken out in favour of an ‘independent investigation’ into grooming gangs
Sammy Woodhouse, another victim of grooming gangs in the South Yorkshire town, called for ‘action’ against professionals, including police and social workers, who failed to stop the abuse
‘Instead of wasting time attacking me, Labour ministers should get on and launch an inquiry.’
As DPP, Sir Keir gave the green light to the first grooming prosecution in Rochdale in 2013. But the previous year he conceded that the perpetrators had escaped justice for years.
He suggested that ‘an issue of ethnicity’ coupled with a ‘lack of understanding’ of the victims had contributed to a failure to prosecute previous cases, which included dropping a major case in the town in 2009, during his tenure as DPP.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘We will welcome and support an independent investigation commissioned by Oldham council which puts victims’ voices at its heart, following the examples of Telford and Rotherham.’
