Elon Musk has reignited his feud with Keir Starmer after accusing the prime minister of failing to go after child grooming gangs when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.
In a series of posts on X, the social media platform he owns, Musk also called for safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to be jailed for rejecting calls for a public inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham.
It is the latest salvo in the long-running war of words between the tech billionaire and the government, which began during last summer’s riots when he claimed “civil war is inevitable” in the UK.
Posting on X on Thursday, Musk said: “In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service’s approval for the police to charge suspects.
“Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008 -2013.
“Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Stamer. The real reason she’s refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”
Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Stamer.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
The real reason she's refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).
Musk also called for the release from prison of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was jailed for 18 months for contempt of court last October.
HuffPost UK has contacted Downing Street for comment.
Musk’s latest outburst comes just days after No. 10 rejected his claim that “very few” businesses would want to invest in the UK.
Starmer’s spokesman told journalists that the Labour government had an “unashamedly pro-growth and pro-business approach”.
He said: “If you look at what’s happened since the election, you’ve seen £63bn of traditional investment.”
Downing Street has been noticeably more reluctant to directly criticise Musk since the re-election of Donald Trump, who has made the X owner the joint-head of a new Department for Government Efficiency.
Starmer is keen to establish a close relationship with the president-elect, despite he and many members of his cabinet previously being extremely critical of him.
