'A Line Has Been Crossed': UK PM Keir Starmer Hits Back After Elon Musk's Criticism Over Child Abuse by Pak Grooming Gangs

London: Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom has been facing criticism over child abuse by Pak Grooming Gangs, especially by billionaire Elon Musk. Responding to the allegations and criticism, Starmer has launched an attack on the people who have been ‘spreading misinformation and lies’ and has said that ‘a line has been crossed’.

UK PM Keir Starmer First Statement on Allegations in Child Sex Abuse Scandal

In a statement to the reporters, on the allegations in the child sex abuse scandal, especially those levelled by Elon Musk, UK PM Keir Starmer said, “Those that are spreading lies and misinformation, as far and as wide as possible – they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves.” Starmer also said that while he enjoys the ‘cut-and-thrust of politics’, he wants the debates to be 'based on facts and truth, not on lies."

‘A Line Has Been Crossed’: Starmer Hits Back at Musk

Hitting back at Elon Musk for the allegations, Starmer said, “We’ve seen this playbook many times, whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it. When the poison of the far right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book, a line has been crossed.”

Criticising the politicians of the Conservative party, Starmer questioned them on "jumping on the bandwagon’ and being ‘so desperate for attention that they’re prepared to debase themselves and their country". Some of the Conservative politicians were also part of the government when the Pak grooming gangs child abuse scandal took place.

‘National Embarrassment’: Elon Musk's Attack on Starmer

Billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday called for the resignation of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, labeling him a "national embarrassment" in a series of posts on his social media platform, X. Musk’s allegations include claims of inaction and complicity, which he argued continue to plague Starmer’s leadership as Prime Minister. 

Musk did not stop at criticizing Starmer. He also targeted Labour minister Jess Phillips, who oversees violence prevention against women and girls. Musk suggested she “deserves to be in prison” for opposing a national inquiry into the Oldham grooming scandal. Even when the news of Starmer readying for a response came up, Elon Musk made a statement, ‘Prepare for some epic cringe’.

What is Child Sex Abuse Pak Grooming Gangs Scandal?

Speaking about the Grooming Gangs Scandal, the ‘rape gangs’ scandal refers to the ongoing inquiry into allegations of "grooming gangs" who sexually exploited children, a topic that has long been raised by opposition conservatives in the UK, PTI reported. Earlier, a high-profile investigation in Rotherham revealed that nearly 1,400 children were sexually abused over 16 years, primarily by British-Pakistani men.

(Inputs from Agencies)