Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticised UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for how he handled the case of sexual exploitation of young girls by grooming gangs, mostly made up of British Pakistani men, in Oldham. Musk accused Starmer of failing to deliver justice for the victims of these "rape gangs" when he was the Director of Public Prosecutions more than a decade ago.

"Starmer was complicit in the rape of Britain when he was head of Crown Prosecution for six years. Starmer must go and he must face charges for his complicity in the worst mass crime in the history of Britain," Musk wrote in a post on X. Musk also called on King Charles to step in and dissolve the Parliament when the Labour Party rejected a request for a public investigation into the incident. Musk's comments, however, were deemed "misjudged and certainly misinformed" by the UK government. Officials, however, stated that they would be willing to work with Musk to resolve the matter. 

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, responded to Musk's remarks and called them "misjudged and misinformed". He did, however, recognise that Musk's social media platform may support initiatives to address this pressing problem, noting, "But we're willing to work with Elon Musk. I think he's 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, roll his sleeves up. We'd welcome that." The issue gained more attention after Home Office Minister Jess Phillips rejected Oldham Council's request for a government-led investigation into past child sexual exploitation. She suggested that the council carry out the review instead. This decision led to criticism, with the Conservatives calling for a national inquiry.

Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, emphasised the importance on X, saying, "2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice." The sexual exploitation of young girls by grooming gangs has been a sensitive and controversial issue for a long time, and it is often highlighted by far-right groups.

Investigations in northern England, including one in Rotherham, revealed widespread abuse of children, with 1,400 victims over a span of 16 years, mainly involving British Pakistani men. Opposition shadow ministers have urged Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to reverse her junior minister's decision and launch a national inquiry. They believe that only an official inquiry can properly address the scale of these crimes across the country. The UK government has promised to carry out the suggestions from the 2022 national inquiry into child sexual abuse, which was led by Professor Alexis Jay. "It doesn't need more consultation. It does not need more research or discussion. It just needs to be done,” Professor Jay remarked of the 20 recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).