UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The Reform UK leader backed Elon Musk’s controversial comments about Keir Starmer and Phillips, while Wes Streeting condemned them as baseless attacks.
Nigel Farage declined to criticize Elon Musk’s remarks about Sir Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips, arguing that the prime minister must address questions regarding the failure to prosecute cases of child sexual abuse.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, slammed the Tesla owner’s comments about the safeguarding minister as a “disgraceful smear,” marking the strongest criticism from the government yet.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage praised the close ally of the newly elected president, Musk for bringing free speech back on social media after purchasing Twitter, now known as X, despite Musk labelling Ms Phillips a “rape genocide apologist” and Sir Starmer as “complicit in the rape of Britain.”
This comes as the Home Office refused to lead a public investigation into child sexual abuse in Oldham, as the Tory party and Reform UK urged for a national inquiry.
Mr. Farage told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg,
“I don’t agree with all of his views, but I believe in free speech, and I think he’s a hero.”
The tech billionaire intervention in British politics came after Ms Phillips directed Oldham Council to conduct a local investigation into historical child violence cases, like the ones in Rochdale and Telford.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, called Phillips “fearless and formidable” on Saturday, highlighting her years of tireless campaigning for justice for those failed by institutions.
Reform UK leader distanced himself from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist who is in prison for court misconduct.
During the BBC One interview on Sunday morning, Mr Farage argued that the public’s anger about grooming gangs is “absolutely justified.”
He added,
“I just think people ask themselves, what has happened to our country? How could this possibly have happened? Why did everybody want to cover it up? Why has there been no full public inquiry?.”
Wes Streeting, while speaking to the BBC, criticized Musk’s comments about Phillip, alongside numerous messages Musk shared with his 210 million X followers regarding grooming gangs.
He added,
“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.”
When the question was asked about Elon Musk, he said, “If he wants to roll his sleeves up and actually do something about tackling violence against women and girls, then online platforms, whether X or any of the other platforms, have got a role to play in keeping people safe online, helping law enforcement clamp down on perpetrators of violence against women and girls, and people who want to groom kids online.”
Last week, after his speech at Reform’s East of England conference in Chelmsford, Mr Farage described Musk’s language as “very, very tough,” but argued that it would only be wrong if it was seen as provoking violence.
He stated,
“You know, in public life, tough things get said. Those on the left have thrown these sorts of jabs at the right for many, many decades and will go on doing so.”