UK Tories vie for Elon Musk's attention with grooming gangs probe vote

By Alex Wickham

  The UK’s opposition Conservative Party sought a vote in parliament on Wednesday calling for a national inquiry into so-called child grooming gangs, in an effort to pose a political problem for Keir Starmer’s Labour government while winning the attention of billionaire Elon Musk. 

The decades-old scandal about child sexual exploitation in British towns by abusers of predominantly Pakistani heritage has returned to the spotlight in recent days thanks to a series of inflammatory posts by Musk on his social media platform X, condemning Starmer’s administration for rejecting an inquiry, criticizing the premier’s previous record as the UK’s chief prosecutor, and hurling insults at safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. 

Though Musk’s role in the incoming Donald Trump administration is only advisory and the extent of his political influence beyond the US is so far uncertain, the Tesla chief’s interventions have made waves across Europe as he endorsed a number of far-right figures, including the jailed British activist Tommy Robinson. 

The Tory party, led by Kemi Badenoch, now spies a political opportunity by backing Musk’s call for a full government-led investigation into the scandal. On Wednesday, they pushed to amend the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to call for a probe. A vote will be held later on Wednesday, which they will almost certainly lose because Labour has a large majority in the House of Commons and does not support the request.  

“The victims of the child rape gangs deserve justice. So many have never had their voices heard,” Tory Shadow Education Minister Neil O’Brien, said in a statement. “At present the government is blocking a full national inquiry. This cannot stand.”

Nevertheless, the amendment will put Labour Members of Parliament in an awkward position because the Tories will be able to point to their rejection of an inquiry into heinous crimes against children — a tactic Badenoch made explicit at a session of Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons earlier on Wednesday. Referring to Labour MPs who represent constituencies where grooming gangs operated, she said: “how are they going to explain to their constituents that obeying his whip is more important than doing the right thing?” 

Starmer has said a new probe is not in the interest of victims and instead wants to prioritize implementing the recommendations of a previous inquiry which reported in 2022, a stance endorsed by its author, the academic Alexis Jay. Despite that, his spokesman, Dave Pares, later declined to rule out a national inquiry, saying the government would always listen to the victims of the grooming gangs. 

Jay’s report was commissioned by the previous Conservative government, though Tory ministers didn’t get around to implementing its 20 recommendations in the more than 18 months the party remained in power after it reported. 

Starmer also pointed to Badenoch’s past record as an MP and a minister in government representing children and women, he said “I can’t recall her once raising this issue in the house.” Badenoch said she had raised the issue in speeches outside the chamber. 

Musk has accused Starmer, who served as Director of Public Prosecutions between 2008 and 2013, of being “complicit in the rape of Britain,” even though it was the now premier who began the prosecutions of the abusers involved. He also called Phillips — whose career before politics centered around helping women victims of domestic violence —  a “rape genocide apologist.” 

The attacks on Phillips — and threats she received as a result — prompted Starmer to say earlier this week that a “line had been crossed,” and accuse the Tories of jumping on a political bandwagon by backing Musk’s demands.  

“This is nothing short of political opportunism from the Conservatives,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told GB News on Wednesday. “We had a national inquiry, the Conservatives launched that, it took seven years, over £100 million, came out with many recommendations. What we need is action.” 

The apparent Tory attempt to earn favor with Musk comes after the billionaire over the last six months expressed support for the right-wing Reform UK party, a direct rival of the Conservatives. 

That appeared to change at the weekend, when Musk criticized Reform leader, the Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, for not supporting his suggestion that Robinson should be released from prison. 

Badenoch, who only became Tory leader in November, is already under pressure because it is Farage’s Reform that is in the ascendancy on the British right, challenging Labour in opinion polls and dominating news coverage, in contrast to the Conservatives, who are struggling for relevance after being ousted from power in July. She also faces an internal rival in Robert Jenrick, a Tory right-winger who ran against her for the leadership and has made a series of hardline public remarks on migration.