UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has strongly defended his government’s efforts to fight sexual abuse against children, particularly in cases that have gained global attention involving rape gangs.

His remarks arose during a continuing viral online discussion with Elon Musk, who has openly criticized Starmer’s management of child abuse cases while Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions for the nation from 2008 to 2013, a role that effectively positioned him as the top prosecutor in the country as the child grooming scandals were revealed.

Speaking to the press during a visit to Epsom Hospital on Monday, Starmer addressed the criticism, mainly focusing on Musk’s recent social media accusations on inquiries and investigations into child abuse cases.

“For anyone doubting the severity and depravity of the mass gang rapes of little girls in Britain, go to the source material and read the court transcripts. I did,” Musk posted to X on January 5. (Trigger warning: Please note the link contains an excerpt with graphic wording).

Starmer told the BBC that those calling for inquiries into these child abuse cases are “jumping on a bandwagon of the Far Right.”

Musk quickly responded to this statement:

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Musk also called for action against Jess Phillips, the UK’s safeguarding minister, accusing her of obstruction after she denied calls for a public inquiry into a recent child abuse case.

“Jess Philips is a rape genocide apologist,” Musk wrote earlier this month.

“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),” Musk added.

However, Starmer declared to the media he indeed had taken decisive action to tackle child abuse in the UK.

“When I left office, we had the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record,” he told reporters, per The Epoch Times. Starmer also pushed back against Musk’s comments about Phillips, stating that “A line has been crossed.”

The issue of rape gangs has been a topic of intense public debate in the UK, especially following the high-profile investigations by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA). In a 2022 report on the seven-year investigation, the IICSA made 107 recommendations for improving child protection.

The UK government has recently pledged to fully implement the recommendations, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirming the commitment last week, according to The Epoch Times.

However, the debate over how to address child exploitation cases continues to divide political parties in the UK. The Labour Party, under Starmer’s leadership, advocates for locally led investigations rather than a broad national inquiry.

In contrast, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called for a full national inquiry into the “rape gangs scandal,” arguing that only a comprehensive investigation can fully address the scope of the problem.

Tensions have further escalated due to Musk’s vocal support for political figures like Tommy Robinson, the controversial far-right activist and co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL). Robinson asserts that he is no longer associated with the EDL.

Robinson is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Starmer condemned Robinson’s actions, stating that his support for “violent” street activism undermines any efforts to achieve justice for these young victims.

The rift between Musk and the UK political landscape has drawn in other figures like Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, who has distanced himself from Musk’s backing of Robinson. Farage reiterated his stance on the matter, stating that Robinson’s views do not align with the principles of the Reform Party.

“The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” Musk posted on X on January 5.

To this, Farage took to X with his response: