Wes Streeting Slams Elon Musk as ‘Ill-Informed’ on Child Grooming Gangs Issue
Wes Streeting, the Christian Health Secretary, has responded to Elon Musk’s recent criticism of the UK government’s handling of child grooming gangs, calling the tech billionaire “ill-informed.” Streeting invited Musk to join efforts in addressing child abuse, urging him to move beyond public critiques and work together to tackle the issue.
Streeting, who identifies as Christian, reaffirmed his faith when discussing the matter: “Fundamentally, I’m a Christian. I believe in God, and I subscribe to the fundamental tenets of our faith.” His comments followed Musk’s critique on social media platform X, where he accused Jess Phillips MP, responsible for safeguarding, of failing to push for a second national inquiry into abuse by grooming gangs in Oldham.
Phillips argued that a local council inquiry would suffice, as a national inquiry had already taken place under the previous government. Musk’s harsh statement, claiming Phillips “deserves to be in prison,” was labeled by Streeting as a “disgraceful smear.”
During a visit to a care home in Carlisle, Streeting emphasized that Labour was actively working on implementing the recommendations from the independent inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay. Streeting criticized Musk’s remarks, stating that many of his criticisms were “misjudged and certainly misinformed.”
Streeting urged Elon Musk to get involved, offering to work with him to tackle child abuse more effectively: “If he wants to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we’d welcome that.” Streeting’s appeal to Musk highlights the importance of collaboration and taking action on critical issues rather than simply offering online commentary.
